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Archiver > GenMassachusetts > 2009-10 > 1255291665
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Subject: Re: [GENMASSACHUSETTS] Thomas Smith (1664-1700) / Abigail(Smith/Skiffe/?) Barnstable MESS!
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:07:45 -0000
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Author: doug13421
Surnames: SMITH PARK PUTNAM HOSMER
Classification: queries
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.massachusetts.unknown/7043.2/mb.ashx
Message Board Post:
Hello Board.
After trying to fit a square peg in a round hole and failing, I've decided to backtrack one generation and try to find a better fit. I think I have, and I would like to share my conclusions, as a good number of family trees are messed up at this part of the branch.
My last completely solid ancestry branch is Sarah Park, born 8 May 1724 in Newton, MA, who married Asaph Putnam 7 Sept 1743 in Sutton MA. Sara's father is Jonathan Park, born 30 Mar 1695 in Newton, MA, and his lineage is well documented. Jonathan Park married one ABIGAIL SMITH on 12 Oct 1721 in Newton. In my opinion, it is most likely that this ABIGAIL SMITH was a local resident of Middlesex county, not the commonly attributed Abigail Smith of Barnstable County, 65 miles away.
It turns out that there were many Smith families in Middlesex county, and indeed there was a good candidate Abigail Smith very near to Newton. This ABIGAIL SMITH lived in Watertown, about 3 miles away from the Park family in Newton. She was born in 1697 in Watertown, and was baptized on 12 Sept 1697 in Watertown. Her father was THOMAS SMITH III who was born in nearby Concord on 4 Dec 1664, and was a resident of Watertown. Her mother was an ABIGAIL, last name unknown. She had one sister Ruth Smith, born about 1697 who was baptized on the same day she was.
Thomas Smith III was the son of Thomas Smith II, born 26 Aug 1640 in Watertown, and Mary Hosmer, born 1646 in Concord. Thomas Smith II was the son of Thomas Smith I who was born 14 April 1605 in Colchester England, and died 10 Mar 1602 in Watertown.
All of these Smith family connections are found in numerous books, including "Family Memorials: Geneaologies of the families and descendants of the early settlers of Watertown, Volume 1" pages 433/434 by Henry Bond MD, 1855.
This seems to make a lot of sense for several reasons. The names, ages, dates of birth etc. all match perfectly, and importantly they were within easy courting distance of each other. Furthermore, the Smith genealogies loose track of Abigail after she was baptized, and the Park/Putnam genealogies have no records of Abigail before her birth. I think that this connection is far more probable than the Barnstable connection.
Cheers
Doug
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