Michael Barstow

Evidence needed to support as son of Isabella Barstow & Matthew Barstow, II

5. Michael Barstow was born about 1600 perhaps at Shelf, Near Halifax, Yorkshire, England; and died between 23 Jun 1674 (date will written) and 13 May 1676 (date of inventory) at Watertown, Massachusetts Bay Colony, New England. Name also seen as Miles Bastow. No known children.

Michael Barstow immigrated to New England in 1635, where he was known as a yeoman and a shopkeeper. “He is one of the early settlers of Watertown, where he was made a Freeman on March 3, 1635/6. This date and his wife's relationships makes it possible that he came on the James along with her and her family. … Michael's social position as well as his respectable and important public appointments imply that he was a man of high intelligence.”

Family

He married

• (1) Grace Barstow on 16 Feb 1625 in Parish Shelf, England, daughter of ABRAHAM HALSTEAD and SUSAN WHYTLEY. She was born 06 May 1597 in North Owran, Halifax Parish, Yorkshire, England, and died before 1635.
• (2) Mercy Barstow on 05 Dec 1635. She died 1642 in Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony, New England [Charlestown, Middlesex, MA, USA].
• (3) Grace Barstow. by 1642, widow of Richard Carver. She died at Watertown on 20 July 1671 [WaVR 33].

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Four brothers came to New England from Yorkshire during “the great Puritan migration.”. Bond believed Michael was the oldest.[7]. They were:

1. Michael Barstow (see above).
2. William Barstow (surname spelled: Beresto) who at the age of 23 embarked with his brother George on September 20, 1635 for New England in the Truelove, (corrected from Bond p. 679) John Gibbs Master.[9] He was a single man at the time.[10] He first settled in Dedham and soon moved to Scituate. Farmer says he was admitted as freeman in 1649. He died in Dedham on January 1, 1668, leaving a widow Anna and 8 children: His daughter Deborah married Philip Shattuck on November 9, 1670; Joseph was baptized in Dedham on April 25, 1641; Mary was baptized January 2, 1642/3.
3. George Barstow (surname spelled: Beresto) who at age 21, with his brother William,[11] embarked for New England on September 20, 1635 in the Truelove, (corrected from Bond p. 679) John Gibbs, Master[12]He married Susanna Barstow, daughter of Deacon Thomas and Susanna Marrett of Cambridge. He was a householder and a member of the 2nd Church in 1652. In 1653 he returned to Cambridge and died March 18, 1653/4. He died "from the treatment he received from Mr. (afterwards President) Chauncy. His widow, Susannah, died the following month, April 17, 1654, leaving two children: Margaret born 1650, and George born March 1652.
4. John Barstow d. Feb. 13, 1657/8. At age 33 he drowned coming from Dedham, in the night after falling through the ice near Mr. Parker's farm. Widow: Name unknown. 3 sons - Michael b. 1653 at Watertown, m. Rebecca Traine, died 1698, had 1 daughter Hannah; John; Jeremiah, perhaps the one whom Deane (History of Scituate, p. 218) attributes to his brother William.

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https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Barstow-225

Michael Bairstow died probably in April or May of 1676, a short time before the the date of the Inventory of his estate.[21][22]

Will of Michael Barstow

His will, dated June 23, 1674, was proved 20 June 1676. Bequest were made to:

• Mr. John Shearman, my dear pastor of the church in Watertown: his farm.
• Hannah Barstow, alias Prince: one great Bible and "the debt due to me in my book which her first husband William Barstow was indebted to me:[25] [sister in law]
• Church of Christ in Watertown: £16
• Elizabeth Randall, the wife of William Randall of Scittuate in Plimouth Colony:£5 [3rd wife Grace’s step daughter]
• Susan Perry, wife of William Perry in Marshfield £5 [3rd wife Grace’s step daughter]
• Michael Barstow (son of John deceased) lot of Upland and Meadow in Watertown and a lot in Barehill in Watertowne [nephew]
• John & Jeremiah, children of the aforesaid John Barstow deceased: £15 each. [nephews]
• Deacon Thomas Hastings of Watertown: £10
• Deacon Henry Bright of Watertown: 40s
• the residue equally divided into ten parts or shares:
• children of brother George Barstow deceased: two shares - to each child a single share (Margaret Gates & George Barstow)
• children of brother William Barstow deceased: eight shares - to each child a single share

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Notes

More About MICHAEL/MILES BARSTOW:

• Accomplishment: 1653, Representative
• Elected: 1652, Selectman
• Will: 23 Jun 1674, is made

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from Genealogical Dictonary of New England Settlers, Volume 1, Page 129.

"BARSTOW, Michael, or Miles, Charlestown, eldest br. of George the first, with w. Marcia join. the ch. 5 Dec 1635, and was made freem. 3 Mar. foll. rem. bef. 1642 to Watertown. He was from Shelf, near Halifax, Co. York, W. Riding, s. of Matthew, says Bond, bpt. 17 Nov 1600, m. 16 eb. 1625 Grace Halstead, wh. Bond, 677, notes as the same with Marcia. He brot. prob. his w.'s sis. Susanna, wh. d. unm. As he had no ch. his will of 23 Jun 1674 proves his est. good, as was the spirit in which he div. it (see General. Reg. VIII 169); and his w. have d. 20 Jul 1671, many relat. partook, beside the benefac. to his spirit, guide, Rev. John Sherman, the farm of 100 acres. He. d. 1676, not, as [p. 129] sometimes said, the day of date of his will. He wrote his name Barstow."

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From A Historical Sketch of the Town of Hanover, Mass., with Family Genealogies ... By John Stetson Barry

Miles or Michael, brother of George, was made freeman of Mass. Mar. 3, 1635-6, and possessed in Wat., as per Rec., " 1.— a homestead of 14 acs. 2. — 2 acs. of meadow at beere brook. 3. — 2 acs. of meadow in Plain Meadow. 4. — 7 acs. of Plowland, being the 10th lot in the further plain. 5. — 7 acs. of meadow, being the 10th lot in the remote meadow. 6. — 12 acs. of upland beyond the further plain, being the 29th lot. 7. — a Farm of 129 acs. of upland, in the 5th division, and 8. — 50 acs. of land, being a great dividend in the 4th div. and 9th lot."

He was a man of note in the hist, of the town, his name often occurring on its records, and he being Selectman in 1652, Rep. in 1653, and often on the Jury of trials.

1 From the disposition made of his property, we infer that he left no family. He was prob. m., and his w. Grace, d. July 20, 1671, — 3 years before his own decease. No ch. are named. His will is dated June 23, 1674, and in it, he gives legacies to Rev. Jno. Sherman, of Wat. ; to the Church of Christ in Wat. ; and to Dea. Thos. Hastings, and Dea. Henry Bright, whom he names as his executors. The bulk of his property was disposed of as follows : — " To Hannah Barstow, alias Prince, one great bible, and the debt due to me in my booke, which her first husband, Wm. Barstow was indebted, &c. ; to Elizabeth, w. of Wm. Randall, of Scit., £5 ; the same to Susan, w. of Wm. Perry, of Mfd. ; to Michael, son of John Barstow, deceased, a lot of upland, &c. in Wat. ; and to John and Jeremiah, ch. of the aforesaid John Barstow, decs' d., to ea. i£15. The rest of the est., after paying debts, &c. to be divided into 10 shares, 2 of wh. parts or shares were given to the ch. of his bro. Geo. B. decs'd., and 8 to the ch. of his bro. Wm. decs'd." His est. was appraised at £273 18s. 3d.'

Disputed Origins

A lineage is seen as “MICHAEL MILES5 BARSTOW (MATTHEW4, MATHEW3, JOHN2, WILLIAM1).

"Bond found the baptism at Shelf, Halifax, Yorkshire, 17 Nov 1600, of Michael Barstow, son of Matthew Barstow [Bond 677]; Matthew Wood found the baptism at Halifax, 6 Jan 1600/1, of Michael Barstow, son of Michael Barstow of Northowram [NYGBR 121:98]. Given the size of this parish and the multiplicity of Barstow families therein, further research needs to be undertaken before we can identify the parents of Michael Barstow and his brothers.)[1][2] There are also baptisms of Michaels (son of Michael) on 17 Feb 1599 and 18 Jan 1600 at St. john the Baptist in Halifax.[3]

From the Great Migration Begins, Volume 1, Page 174:

Family relationships

"The Wives of Michael Barstow and Richard Carver of Watertown, Massachusetts and the Identity of the Wives of William Randall of Scituate and William Perry of Marshfield" by Robert Charles Anderson from the "NEHGS Register" 146:233-4

Watertown Founders Monument

He is listed on the Watertown Founders Monument, commemorating the first settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts. The town was first known as Saltonstall Plantation, one of the earliest of the Massachusetts Bay Colony settlements. Founded in early 1630 by a group of settlers led by Richard Saltonstall and George Phillips, it was officially incorporated that same year. The alternate spelling "Waterton" is seen in some early documents.

References

1. Great Migration 1634-1635, A-B, (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume 1, A-B, by Robert Charles Anderson, George F. Sanborn, Jr., and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999), 171-4, https://www.americanancestors.org/DB114/i/7051/173/22074622 accessed 18 May 2022. link
2. Henry Bond, Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, including Waltham and Weston : to which is Appended the Early History of the Town. 2nd Edition, (Boston: N.E. Historic-genealogical Society, 1860), 18, Digital Image Internet Archive, (https://archive.org/stream/genealogiesoffam00bond#page/18/mode/2up accessed 29 October 2017).
3. Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, 677, Digital Image Internet Archive, (https://archive.org/stream/genealogiesoffam00bond#page/676/mode/2up accessed 29 October 2017).
4. The pioneers of Massachusetts, a descriptive list, drawn from records of the colonies, towns and churches and other contemporaneous documents by Pope, Charles Henry, 1841-1918 page 209

• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/MQ7C-NHX
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Barstow-225
• The New England Historical & Genealogical Register and Antiquarian ..., Volume 8. Page 169. <GoogleBooks>. “Michael Barstow’s Will.”
• "The Wives of Michael Barstow and Richard Carver of Watertown, Massachusetts and the Identity of the Wives of William Randall of Scituate and William Perry of Marshfield" by Robert Charles Anderson from the "NEHGS Register" 146:233-4; The New England Historic Genealogical Society; Boston, Massachusetts; 1992 (974.0 NEa SCGS) The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2018.) https://www.americanancestors.org/DB202/rd/11691/230/23525075
• Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives. Digitized images provided by FamilySearch.org) https://www.americanancestors.org/DB536/i/14459/1332-co1/38169032
• <“ The Descendants of William Barstow and Isabel Wollar of Yorkshire.”> has errors