Help with William Locke and Elizabeth Davis Salter.

Question

I have been looking at these couples and I wonder if anyone can help me with my logic:

• [[Locke-439|William Locke (1608-)]] & [[Salter-245|Elizabeth (Salter) Lock (1604-bef.1631)]]
• [[Locke-1021|William Locke (abt.1602-abt.1634)]] & [[Davis-96356|Elizabeth (Davis) Locke (1588-1631)]]

I think that these 4 might represent a single couple.

1. The marriage dates for each couple are the same.
2. The burial dates for each Elizabeth are the same.
3. One Elizabeth lists Salter birth name, the other lists it as a previous married name.

Conflicting data:

1. None of the birthdates match. But since there is no source cited for any of the dates, how reliable are they?
2. Same for parents.
3. The research notes for Salter-245 indicate that Salter was not her maiden name. In view of this, it seems unlikely that her mother was [[Brockett-88|Ursula (Brockett) Salter (abt.1568-1645)]], since Ursula was married to [[Salter-407|Edward Salter (abt.1567-abt.1647)]].

Any thoughts/comments would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Hi John, Your question is at the heart of researching Deacon William of Woburn’s origins. My research notes for [ Davis-96356|Elizabeth (Davis) Locke (1588-1631) ] are based on investigations in the London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) and other sources, now digital and searchable on Ancestry.  Deacon William came to America in 1635 in the care of Nicholas Davis. We know that Deacon William’s parents were William Lock(e) mariner of Wappingwall and Elizabeth Salter, a widow when she married the Mariner in 1622. But she died in 1631 and her son William was an orphan when he sailed to America. From Wapping marriage records (held in the LMA) we find that Henry Salter married Eliz Davis on 27 Nov 1615.  Researching Elizabeth Davis’s christening finds a record in Nettleton parish, in Wiltshire, where a record of her brother’s christening is also found. Her brother was Nicholas Davis. The ages of all the passengers on board the good ship Planter in 1635 were recorded in their Oath, and Nicholas Davis’s 40 years matches his birth date in his Christening record… I hope this provides the detail you were looking for. Regards, -Clayton