Robert Carver (abt. 1594 - 1680)

Born about 1594 in England [uncertain]

Husband of Christian (Turner) Carver — married 4 Aug 1617 in Lydiard Millicent, Wiltshire, England

Descendants

Died Apr 1680 at about age 86 in Marshfield, Plymouth Colony

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Robert Carver migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 58) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Disputed Origins & Relations

Robert C. Anderson featured John Carver in The Great Migration Begins and concludes that any "connections to Robert Carver of Marshfield in the Carver genealogy are completely unsupported and should be discounted."^[1] Despite claims by Richards in History of Marshfield and others, Robert was not the brother or the son of John Carver of the Mayflower:

No evidence that Robert Carver of Marshfield was a brother of Governor Carver (first gov. of the Plymouth Colony) has ever been found, and the fact that he was about thirty years younger than the Governor makes this relationship extremely improbable. He may have been, however, a somewhat more distant relative of the Governor, possibly a nephew. Therefore, the birthplace and the parentage of Robert Carver of Marshfield are as yet undetermined, and there is no record of how and when he came to America. It is said that he was in Leyden with the Pilgrims before they sailed, but the evidence offered to prove this assertion is unsatisfactory.^[2]

Conclusion: We are detaching him as son of John Carver and Katherine (White) Carver.

Anderson's conclusions are supported by an article in the Winter 2020 New England Historical and Genealogical Register, which presents additional evidence to establish that there was no connection between Robert¹ Carver of Marshfield and John¹ Carver of the Mayflower.^[3]

Biography

Unless otherwise cited, information is from the above-referenced 1934 NEHGR article by William Jones.

When he died in 1680, Robert "being 86 yeares old" per the Marshfield Vital record, was therefore born about 1594.

Robert¹ Carver of Plymouth Colony "almost certainly" the Robert Carver who with his wife Christian had three children baptized at St. Mary Matfelon, Whitechapel: a daughter Elizabeth in 1632, a son William in 1635, and a son John, on 23 Dec 1636.^[4]

Robert Carver first appears in the Plymouth Colony on 3 Sep 1638, when at a Court of Assistants held at New Plymouth "Robert Carver is graunted 20 acres of land lying on the norwest side Greenes Harbor River and a garden place upon Stoney River."^[5] This land was in Duxbury. He was living at Duxbury on 10 Sep 1641, when Edward Hawes of "Duxburrow" agreed to exchange 10 acres of upland lying across Greens Harbor for 2000 feet of "sawne" boards, delivered by Robert Carver of the same place. But soon after this he moved to Marshfield, where he was chosen a grand juryman on 7 Mar 1643. He was chosen surveyor of highways in 1653, and served often on juries.

He left no will; but soon after the death of his son John, the only child of whom there is any record, he made an agreement with John's widow, 27 June 1679, by which he was to live with her during the term of his natural life, and in return she and her children were to have the improvement of his whole estate until her eldest son, William, attained his majority; then one half of the whole estate was to be set off to him, and at his mother's death he was to have the other half.^[6]

Robert Carver was the Pilgrim progenitor of the Carver family of Granby. He was born in England about 1594; bought land in Marshfield, Mass., in 1638; was in the train band in 1643; and a freeman in 1644. He married Christian ---. He died in 1680, outliving his wife 22 years."^[7]

Robert married Christian Turner August 4, 1617 in Lydiard Millicent, Wiltshire, England.^[8][7][2] She was buried on 23 July 1658 at Marshfield.

Robert died in April 1680 and was buried at Marshfield, Plymouth County, Massachusetts "being 86 yeares old" per the Marshfield Vital records.

Child

Robert and Christian had only one child:

1. John Carver, b c. 1637 England; m 4 Nov 1658 to

Some^{[citation needed]} include a daughter Elizabeth Carver, without evidence.

Sources

1. ↑ Anderson, Robert C., (1995) "John Carver," featured name. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III. AmericanAncestors.org NEHGS, (Volumes I-III, Page 321).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Jones, William, (1934) "Robert Carver of Marshfield, Mass., and some of his Descendants." The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: NEHGS, AmericanAncestors.org LINK (Page 215).
3. ↑ Sue Allan, Caleb Johnson, and Simon Neal, "The Probable Origin of Mayflower Passenger John Carver and the Minter Family in Suffolk," New England Historical and Genealogical Register', volume 174 (2020), page 19
4. ↑ Sue Allan, Caleb Johnson, and Simon Neal, "The Probable Origin of Mayflower Passenger John Carver and the Minter Family in Suffolk," New England Historical and Genealogical Register', volume 174 (2020), page 19, citing parish registers of St. Mary’s Church, Whitechapel, Middlesex; London Metropolitan Archives[FHL DGS 4,144,231]
5. ↑ Plymouth Colony Records, vol. 1, p. 94
6. ↑ "Massachusetts Land Records, 1620-1986," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-PCS9 : 22 May 2014), Plymouth > Deeds 1664-1711 vol 1-5 > image 247 of 652; county courthouses and offices, Massachusetts.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Noon, Alfred, (1912) The History of Ludlow, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches ... Archive.org (Page 370)
8. ↑ "England Marriages, 1538–1973 Roberte Carver, 1617", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NJHC-JMS : 6 January 2021).

• Shurtleff, Nathaniel Bradstreet, 1810-1874; Pulsifer, David, 1802-1894, New Plymouth Colony; Records of the colony of New Plymouth, in New England : printed by order of the legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts]; 1855 Boston : Press of W. White. Robert Carver Pg 42, 52, 69, granted 20 acres Pgs 94-5, admitted freeman 122, also 126-7, 135, John 158.

See also:

• Carver, Clifford N., (1935) The Carver Family of New England. [Searsport ME]: privately printed, HathiTrust.org LINK (Pages 18, 23, 45-50) Disputed: ancestry and association with John Carver.
• Richards, Lysander Salmon, (1901) History of Marshfield. Plymouth, MA: Memorial Press, Archive.org (Page 16) Disputed: ancestry and association with John Carver.

Acknowledgements

The following contributed quality research to this profile. Thank you.

• John Kingman, 8/27/2017