Richard French, Jr. "of Cambridge & Marshfield"

Richard French may have been born ca. 1623, but he was baptised on 6 May 1629 in Coggeshall. Richard's mother died when he was young. According to the Records of the Mass Bay Colony, Richard was 27 years of age in 1652.

“Richard French appears to have been quite the rogue. The court records of Middlesex County show charges against Richard with "uncivil carriage and abuse offred to the body of Jane Evans, a servant of Richard Hildreth," and the court found him guilty of the charge. He left town and went to Marshfield. The Plymouth County court records of 7 June, 1659, evidence that Richard French "... is accused by Heptsibah Andrews to have comitted bodily uncleanes with her, and hath stood engaged to the Court to answer for the same and appeered att this Court; and likewise the said Hepthsibah Andrews was likewise summoned to appeer... to take bonds of him to pay a considerable sume towards the kept of the child... etc." However, it seems Ms. Andrews did not appear at the second hearing in October of that year, and Richard was released from bond.”

Richard French died at Marshfield 14 December of 1688 (age 62). The widow Martha and John Rogers were appointed Executors of the estate. The inventory was presented to court on 21 Dec., 1688.

Family

One wife or two?

“1659 Richard French married Richard Beare’s daughter, Martha Beare. The reason this Martha is probably not the same Martha as in Cambridge is because the Beare family immigrated to Plymouth. There were no Beares in Cambridge. Also, what would the Martha of Cambridge done with the two children, Joseph and Samuel? They never appear in Marshfield records. Also, the crime Richard commited was enough to cause a divorce.”

Children of Martha 1 and Richard French:

• 1. Joseph, b. Cambridge, ca. 1649
• 2. John, b. Cambridge, ca. 1651. He was alive in 1696, and "of Marshfield" when he sold his part of the "Sippecan" Barnstable land to Job Randall of Scituate. He was a soldier of the Massachusetts Bay Colony militia whose troops were sent by the Governor to aid the British in the attack on Nova Scotia in 1710 against the French, during Queen Anne's War. An inventory of John's estate was presented for probate at Marshfield 2 Jan., 1713, showing Lt. John Pratt as administrator and executor of his estate. John apparently died a soldier of disease at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia in 1710/11.
• 3. Samuel, b. Cambridge, 13 July, 1653. He was the Samuel who m. at Dunstable, 28 Dec., 1682, Sarah Cummings (b. 28 Jan., 1661, dau. of John Cummings) They lived at Dunstable (which is now Nashua, NH), where Samuel was an innkeeper and a member of the local militia. He d. at Dunstable, ca. 1727. [*note, their daughter, Sarah French, b. Dunstable 7 Feb., 1682/3, married Ebenezer Parkhurst as his second wife. See Parkhurst]
• 4. Elizabeth, b. Marshfield, 2 Feb., 1660

From https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25175696/joseph-french

Joseph French (1649 - 1742) was the son of Richard French, born in 1627 in Coggeshall, Essex, England, and Martha Beare (daughter of Richard Beare and Grace), born in 1627 in Coggeshall, Essex, England.

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Also as of 5/1/2020, last update 5/21/2010 at French Family Association.
Chart #6 - Richard French http://www.frenchfamilyassoc.com/FFA/CHARTS/Chart006/

Martha's parentage at the present time is unproved, however, it is probable it was Beare, as Richard French was appointed administrator of Richard Beare's estate in Plymouth Colony in which Mr. Beare left a cow each to John & Elizabeth French, children of Richard and Martha French. This Richard Beare's wife was Grace, and they lived at Marshfield. <<<

Also, Marriage to Martha Danforth is suspect. >>>Richard French immigrated to America at about age 20. Early on he met Martha (Danforth?, since her father, Nicholas Danforth was living nearby. Records show that Martha, dau. of Nicholas Danforth, was probably his first child and born ca. 1620. This would be too early for Richard because apparently Richard was b. in 1625. Nicholas Danforth does not mention Martha in his will. No proof of Martha’s surname. Pioneers of Massachusetts, by Pope, p. 130, indicates that Martha Danforth was Richard’s wife).<<<