Henry Rice (abt. 1564 - 1621)

Born about 1564 in Buckhamstead, Hartford, England [uncertain]

Husband of Margaret (Baker) Rice — married 22 Jun 1579 in Sudbury, Suffolk, England

Husband of Elizabeth (Frost) Whale — married 1605 (to 16 Nov 1621) in Stanstead, Suffolk, England

Descendants

Died 16 Nov 1621 at about age 57 in Stanstead, St James, Suffolk, England

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Wesley Doughman [send private message] and Sunny Easton [send private message]

Disputed Origins

The Henry Rice who married Elizabeth Frost (who then went on to marry Philemon Whale II) has been thought to be brother or father of the immigrant Edmund Rice who settled in Sudbury, Massachusetts about 1638. ^[1]

Biography

Henry Rice or Rys of Ratcliffe was born 1564 [others say 1588] in Wapping, Ratcliffe, East Mithfield, St. Katherine's Whitechapel, Middlesex [other say Suffolk], England.

He married first 1605 [seems late given 1564 birth year; are we conflating two men here, one generation apart??] Elizabeth Frost... [is this right?]

In "English Notes on Edmund Rice," Mary Lovering Holman^[2] had searched the church register from Stanstead, Suffolk, England with the following results:

One Henry Rice married Elizabeth Frost in November 1605. Supposed children, recorded in this register include:

1. Henry Ryce, son of Henry; buried September 1608
2. Edward Ryce, baptized May 1608
3. Henry Ryce, baptized Feb 1609/10;
4. Elizabeth Ryce, baptized November 1612
5. Mary Ryce, baptized Jun 1615
6. Anne Ryce, baptized March 1617/8

One Henry Rice, the father?, was buried November 1621 in Stanstead.^[3] No will has been found.

The Frosts were of Stanstead, but not the Rice name.

Research Notes

Henry Rice and his wife Elizabeth Frost were not the parents of the emigrant Edmund Rice of Sudbury, Massachusetts. From the Edmund Rice (1638) Family Association:

Twice in the 20th century nationally recognized research genealogists have attempted to determine the parents and ancestors of Edmund Rice:

1. Mary Lovering Holman described the negative result of her search for records in the parishes near Stanstead and Sudbury, Suffolk County, England in "English Notes on Edmund Rice … ", The American Genealogist', Volume 10 (1933/34), pp. 133 - 137. Mrs. Holman is considered by many to be one of the best research genealogists in the 20th century.
2. In 1997, the Edmund Rice (1638) Association commissioned Dr. Joanna Martin, a nationally recognized research genealogist who lives in England only a few miles from Stanstead and Sudbury to search again for records of Edmund Rice's parents. Dr. Martin reported in 1999 that she found no record that identified Edmund's parents or ancestral line...

From Mrs. Holman's paper we have an excellent record of one Henry Rice's marriage to Elizabeth Frost in November 1605 at Stanstead. Mrs. Holman also documents the baptism of Edmund's first child on 23 August 1619 at Stanstead. If this is the Henry Rice and Elizabeth Frost to which the LDS records refer, the LDS records must be erroneous...

If Henry was the father of Edmund the immigrant, it would have been by an earlier wife. The Edmund Rice (1638) Association makes it very clear that no proof has been found of Edmund's parentage.^[4]

Will of Edward Frost, Clothier of Stansted, Suffolk 1616

Persons mentioned

• Edward Frost of Stansted in the countye of Suff clothier: testator
• Thomasine my welbeloved wief: wife of testator
• Will[ia]m Frost my Sonne: son of testator
• Elizabeth my daughter nowe the wief of Henry Rice daughter and son in law of testator
• Anne my daughter nowe the wief of Lawrence Collen': daughter and son in law of testator
• Alice my daughter nowe the wief of Thomas Blowe: ' daughter and son in law of testator
• 'Marye Frost my daughter: daughter of testator
• Thomasine Frost my daughter: daughter of testator
• Edward Rice sonne of my daught[e]r 'Elizabeth Rice and my Godsonn grandson of testator
• Ambrose'Biggs Sen[ior] Ambrose Biggs Jun[ior]:witnesses to will

Sources

1. ↑ The American Genealogist, vol. 10, p134: QUOTE NEEDED
2. ↑ The American Genealogist, vol. 10, p133-137
3. ↑ The American Genealogist, vol. 10, p133-136
4. ↑ http://www.edmund-rice.org/ancestors.htm

See also:

• Catalogue of American genealogies in the library of the Long Island Historical Society, Brooklyn, N. Y.: The Society, 1935. Available on ancestry.com
• A volume of records relating to the early history of Boston, Boston: Municipal Print. Office, 1900-1909.
  • Note: Vols. 1-22, 1876-1890, issued as "Report of the Record Commissioners." In 1892 the Record Commissioners' Department (created in 1875 and known also as the Department of Ancient Records) was consolidated with the Registry Department, which continued the publication under the same title until 1900; with v. 29, the title was changed to its present form.
• Middlesex, England, Extracted Parish Records, Ancestry.com. Electronic databases created from various publications of parish and probate records.
• Ellery Bicknell Crane, ed., Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County Massachusetts with a History of Worcester Society, [place? date?]

According to the profiles Rice-220, married Baker-314, when he was 15 or 16 years of age, in 1579. She was about 21. Possible yes, probable no. He then married Frost-76, and Frost-103, in 1605. Possible No. Frost-76 and Frost-103, may not be the same person, but Baker-314, was not married to two women, with the same name, at the same time. Someone who is certified, needs to remove, one of these ladies, as a wife, to Baker-314.