Margaret Hulings

• BIRTH 15 Jul 1595 Suffolk, England
• DEATH 28 Apr 1684 (aged 88) Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, USA [2]
• BURIAL Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, USA, PLOT In private family lot; specific location to be found., MEMORIAL ID 111672507, Photos by M Cooley & KMarks [1]
• Parents: John Hulins and Margaret
• Spouse: Thomas Bliss — married 18 Oct 1621 in St Nicholas' Church, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England

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At one time there was a Bliss family monument however it's location has not yet been determined. It is probably a cenotaph monument as Margaret died in 1684 before headstones. According to the history of Springfield no remains or monuments for the majority of the dead buried in the Old Burying Ground were able to be relocated to area cemeteries. Some of what was recovered was moved to Springfield Cemetery which opened in 1841, 157 years after Margaret's death in 1684.

Cenotaph marker at Springfield Cemetery when earth and 517 stones moved to mass grave in 1848 to make way for Railroad. There is no documentation to show or headstone in Springfield Cemetery to show Margaret was included in this relocation. There is documentation regarding a family monument created by her family which includes her name. Thomas Bridgman transcribed several headstones, Margaret's name is included with her family (Samuel, Ebenezer, Jedediah, and Alex). The family may have elected to relocate her to a place where their family & monument currently rests.

Arrival in the United States was about 1635. They resided in Hartford, Connecticut as they are listed among the Founders of Hartford. Springfield records show that Margaret arrived in Springfield 1645 and resided there 38 years, until her death 28 Apr 1684.

Thomas Bliss was a farmer, born in Gloucestershire, England about 1590. Numerous records point at Painswick area. He resided in Rodborough, Gloucestershire at one time. His son Nathaniel was born there. Thomas and son, Thomas Jr. names appear in a few land records.

Inscription
WID. MARGARET BLISS
SETTLED IN THIS TOWN 1645,
Died April 28, 1684

Parents
John Hulins 1565–1639

Spouse
Thomas Bliss 1583–1650 (m. 1621)

Disambiguation

NOTE: The several Thomas Bliss' of New England have had their vital records, family relationships and biographical facts mixed and matched in a Gordian knot by those who were less than attentive to details as they imported unevaluated and unsourced data including fanciful pedigrees into their family trees. In brief, we are dealing with three or possibly four individuals of the name Thomas Bliss:

• Thomas Bliss (called Sr) b. before 1595 a founder of Hartford, wives Margaret Snowe and Margaret Hullings (and the subject of this family)
• Thomas Bliss b. about 1618 of Saybrook and Norwich son of #1, wife Elizabeth Birchard who may or may not be the Thomas Bliss, called Jr. in early Hartford records and counted as a founder.
• Thomas Bliss of Rehoboth, Mass. Wife Dorothy Wheatlie, father: John.

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Family

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hulings-28

Margaret Hulings married October 18, 1621 in St. Nicholas Church Gloucester England to Thomas Bliss, [2] b. about 1595, d. February 1651 at Hartford. His second wife. He was Margaret Snowe’s widower. Thomas, Anne and Sarah were by his 1st wife.

Children listed following Jacobus,[2] with additional data as annotated:

1. Nathaniel, bp. December 28, 1622[1]; d,. at Springfield, Mass., 18 Nov. 1654; m. at Springfield, 20 Nov. 1646, Catherine Chapin[3], probably b. at Berry Pomeroy, Devon, in 1626, d. at Springfield, 4 Feb. 1712, dau. of Dea. Samuel and Cicely (Penny) Chapin. She m. (2) 30 June 1655, Thomas Gilbert, who d. at Springfield, 5 June 1662, and (3) 28 Dec. 1664, Samuel Marshfield who d. 8 May 1692.
2. Mary; b. [say 1626]; d. at Springfield, 29 Jan. 1712; m. at Hartford, 26 Nov. 1646, Cornet Joseph Parsons[3], b. 1617-18, d. at Springficld, 9 Oct. 1683.
3. Lawrence, b. [say 1628]; d. at Springfield, in 1676; m. at Springfield, 25 Oct. 1654, Lydia Wright,[3] b. abt. 1633, d. at Springficld, 13 Feb. 1698/9, dau. of Dea. Samuel and Margaret (Stratton) Wright. She m. (2) 3l Oct. 1678, John Norton, who d. 24 Aug. 1687; (3) 27 Jan. 1687/8, John Lamb, who d. 28 Sept. 1690; and (4) 1 Mar. 1691/2, Quartermaster George Colton, who d. 17 Dec. 1699. "at night.”
4. Hannah, b. [say 1633]; d. at Springfield, 25 Jan. 1660/l, never married.
5. John, b. [say 1635]; d. at Springfield, 20 Sept. 1702; m. at Springfield, 7 Oct. 1667, Patience Burt[3], b. at Springfield, 18 Aug. 1645, d. there 2 Oct. 1732, dau. of Henry and Ulalia (March) Burt.
6. Sarah, b. [say 1638]; d. at Springfield, 27 Sept. 1705; m.(1) at Springfield, 20 July 1659, John Scott,[3] who d. 2 Jan. 1689/90; m. (2) 16 Nov. 1690, Samuel Terry[3]
7. Hester (twin), b. abt. 1640; d. at Springfield, 12 June 1683; m. at Springfield, 26 Dec. 1661. Edward Foster[3], who d. 22 Feb. 1719/20. He m. (2) 17 Jan. 1683/4 Sarah (Marshfield) Miller, who d. 9 Mar. 1708/9, widow of Thomas Miller.
8. Elizabeth (twin), b. abt. 1640; d. before 1684; m. at Springfield, 15 Feb. 1669/70, as his second wife, Sergt. Miles Morgan,[3], b. abt. 1615, d. at Springfield, 28 May 1699.
9. Samuel, b. [say 1642]; d. at Springfield, 23 Mar. 1720; m. at Springfield, 10 Nov. 1665, Mary Leonard,[3] b. at; Springfield, 14 Sept. 1647, d. there 1 Jan. 1723/4, dau. of John and Sarah (Heath) Leonard.

Biography

From Margaret Hulinge Bliss - Find A Grave - MEMORIAL ID 111672507

Margaret Hulins (Hulinges), daugther of John Hulinges and Margaret 1, 2 was born 3 on 15 Jul 1595 in of,Rodborough,Gloucestershire,England. She was christened on 15 Jul 1595 in Olueskirk, Lancashire, England. ??? She died 4 on 28 Aug 1684 in Springfield, Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts.

She married 5 Thomas Bliss Jr (1583 - 1650) on 18 Oct 1621 in St Nicholas, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England. He was the son of Thomas Bliss.

" Thomas Bliss & his sons were severly persecuted by Archbishop Laud and lost most of their wealth before coming to America. He and his wife probably migrated with four of their children to Boston in Massachusetts Bay to Braintree around 1638. He was granted 35 acres of land there in 1639. By 1640 they were living in Hartford in the Colony of Conn. where he was a landowner along with his son, THOMAS, JR. On March 4th, 1646, "Tho: Blissse" was fined two shillings for not training. The names of Thomas Bliss Sr. & Thomas Bliss, Jr. are on the Founders Monument in this cemetery."

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Character

Boyd, Michelle, "Thomas Bliss and Margaret Snowe," article, Olive and Eliza, < link > last accessed [4 November 2023].

Donald Lines Jacobus gives insight into Margaret (Hulings) Bliss's personality and her life after Thomas's death:

“She proved herself to be a woman of capacity, raising the younger children, outfitting some of them at marriage, and yet leaving an estate appraised at £278 when she died. She survived her husband a third of a century, never remarried, and left property more than three times the value of what he, wisely as the event proved, had left to her care when he died. She vigorously defended her daughter, Mrs. Parsons, when under suspicion of witchcraft in 1656, but in 1674 a formal charge was made, resulted in the trial and acquittal of Mrs. Parsons."

The UMass Mary Bliss Parsons site states,

"After the death of Thomas Bliss, Mary's mother, Margaret, moved the family to Springfield, where the family prospered despite the loss of the father. Her sons were successful in business, and court records indicate that Margaret herself was quite business minded and well able to defend her property in several legal disputes."

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Court records report that "Goody Bliss of Hartford Complaining to this Courte of William Ayres for detaining hr Cowe wrongfully, and selling her when hee had no right nor power so to doe. The Courte Adjudges William Ayres to pay to Goody Bliss the sum of six pounds five shillings in good pay for her Cowe: Execution dated the 14th of May 1651.

Birth: Jul. 15, 1595, England

Death: Aug. 28, 1684

Married Thomas Bliss on Oct 18 1621 in Glouchester, England

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Birth date, location and marriage information supplied by fellow findagrave.com member Cammy

Margaret Lawrence Hulins Bliss

• Birth: Jul. 15, 1595, England
• Death: Aug. 28, 1684

Springfield records show that Margaret arrived in Springfield 1646 and resided there 38 years, until her death 1684. Opinions differ about Margaret . . . [see # 111672507 for extended bio]

Family links:

Spouse:

• Thomas Bliss (1583 - 1650)

Children:

• Lawrence Bliss (____ - 1676)*
• Nathaniel Bliss (____ - 1654)*
• Sarah Bliss Scott (____ - 1705)*
• Ann Bliss Chapman (____ - 1685)*
• Thomas Bliss (1618 - 1688)*
• Mary Bliss Parsons (1628 - 1712)*
• Elizabeth Bliss Morgan (1637 - ____)*
• Hannah Bliss (1639 - 1661)*
• John Bliss (1640 - 1702)*
• Samuel Bliss (1642 - 1720)*

Burial: Unknown

• Created by: Shari
• Record added: Apr 12, 2009
• Find A Grave Memorial# 35792620
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/111672507/margaret-bliss

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Inscription:

• WID. MARGARET BLISS
• SETTLED IN THIS TOWN 1645,
• Died April 28, 1684

Burial: Old Burying Ground (Defunct), Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, USA

• Created by: M Cooley
• Record added: Jun 02, 2013
• Find A Grave Memorial# 111672507 -tcd

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(f/g) Margaret Lawrence Hulins - Bliss

• Birth: Jul. 15, 1595, England
• Death: Aug. 28, 1684
• Married Thomas Bliss on Oct 18 1621 in Glouchester, England

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My Other blog www.brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com

Margaret's maiden name is not entirely clear; it may have been Hulinge, Hulings or even Lawrence. Here ancestry is in question but Margaret might be the daughter of John Hulins (b.1595, d.1638?) from Rodborough and Margaret (b.1566?). John Hulins (b.1540, d.1609) was the son of Henry Hulins (Huling) (b.1540, d.1608) also from Rodborough and Joane (d.1612). After the death of Thomas, Margaret Hulins would join some of her sons in Springfield, Massachusetts. She carried on after Thomas without remarrying, something that was not that common in Puritan society. Also a bit unusual, she ran the household as the head of the family and grew her husband's wealth after his death. At the writing of her will, the estate was worth about £280 of which about £250 was land. She had a house on South Main Street between Fremont and Margaret Streets. _________________________________________

Birth date, location and marriage information supplied by fellow findagrave.com member Cammy

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Another person believes that Margaret and Thomas were married abt 1610.

Alt death dates (the latter possibly burial date?): 6/25/1684, 8/25/1684, 8/28/1684

Does anyone have a source we can reference here?

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ATB's Genealogy of the Bliss Family in America (1982) -Ben M. Angel

Previously, the date of death for Margaret (Lawrence) Bliss was given as 4/6/1621 in Springfield MA, but the Wikipedia page for Springfield, MA states that it was settled on May 14, 1636, it also is the same currently listed death date/location for Margaret (Lawrence) Lawrence/Hulins which is also unlikely and given that the arrival of Hartford co-founder Thomas Bliss (Sr. in US and son of Margaret (Lawrence) Bliss) and Margaret (Hulins) Bliss (daughter of Margaret (Lawrence) Hulins) did not arrive in Boston until about 1637 (Aaron Tyler Bliss). Thus the death date August 19, 1684 for Margaret (Lawrence) Bliss given by the link:

[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~scanderson/thomas_bliss.HTM]

should be more likely.

Floyd Bliss Hanson, 9th great grandson of both Margaret Lawrences.

References

• http://www.reardon-family.org/masterged/pafg167.htm#6115 (dead link May 2017)
• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Aug 13 2018, 21:48:28 UTC
• [1] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/111672507/margaret-bliss
• [2] Monument that was transcribed by Thomas Bridgeman, 1684 Aug 28 Springfield, MA by Springfield town records
• [3] Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, Death Date: 28 Aug 1684, Springfield, Massachusetts
• [4] Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991, Probate Date: 30 Sep 1684, Hampshire, Massachusetts
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hulings-28