Martha Bowman, Is not Samuel Bridge Jr's mother that would be Susanna Page, first wife of Samuel Bridge Sr.

Question

Every family tree, including WikiTree, that I have ever seen shows Martha Bowman b: Sep. 8,1818-d: Jun. 27, 1793, daughter of Joseph and Phoebe (Barnard) Bowman of Lexington, MA as being the mother of Samuel Bridge Jr. This is incorrect for a couple of reasons.

First: According to the "JOHN BRIDGE FAMILY IN AMERICA" Published in 1924 and edited by The Rev. William Dawson Bridge ( I have a copy of the original printing) states on page 286 that Samuel Bridge Sr. b: May 2, 1705-d: Jun. 7, 1791, married Susanna, daughter  of Nathaniel and Susanna (Lane) Page (Paige) of Billerica and Medford where she was born Apr. 29,1711. The date shown on this page is in itself an error as it says that they were married Apr. 9. 1734 and that would be unlikely since Samuel Bridge Jr. was born Jan. 6, 1734-5 according to page 287 of the book and elseware. The marriage date for Samuel Sr. and Susanna Page ( I have not located anyone spelled Paige connected with the Bridge name and thus have dropped it) should read Apr. 7, 1731 as is shown elsewhere.

Susanna (Page) Bridge died on Jan. 16, 1734-35 (probably from complications due to childbirth but that is just conjecture on my part and hasn't been stated by anything I could find)

Second: Martha Bowman didn't marry Samuel Bridge Sr. until Apr. 27, 1738, better than 3-4 years after the birth of Samuel Bridge Jr. and therefore was not his mother.

I am 77 years old and by no means a Rocket Scientist but I find it hard to believe that nobody has caught this before even though I have attempted to bring it to the attention of other Genealogy websites. Doesn't anyone do any proof reading of what is written in this field? If I were younger I could make a career outof correcting the mistakes I have discovered in just a couple of years.

My name is David M. Bridge and Samuel Bridge Jr. was my GGGG Grandfather and traces back to John Bridge The Puritan who arrived in America in 1632 and whose statue now stands on Cambridge Common, Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA. I have also traced my Bridge line forward to my own grandchildren but have had trouble putting this on most family trees because of the road blocks thrown up by each individual genealogical website and have almost given up trying.  I'm hoping for better results this time but I'm not holding my breath.

David M. Bridge, NCC(SS) USN Retired (Dave) email: dbridge1979@gmail.comEvery family tree, including WikiTree, that I have ever seen shows Martha Bowman b: Sep. 8,1818-d: Jun. 27, 1793, daughter of Joseph and Phoebe (Barnard) Bowman of Lexington, MA as being the mother of Samuel Bridge Jr. This is incorrect for a couple of reasons.

First: According to the "JOHN BRIDGE FAMILY IN AMERICA" Published in 1924 and edited by The Rev. William Dawson Bridge ( I have a copy of the original printing) states on page 286 that Samuel Bridge Sr. b: May 2, 1705-d: Jun. 7, 1791, married Susanna, daughter  of Nathaniel and Susanna (Lane) Page (Paige) of Billerica and Medford where she was born Apr. 29,1711. The date shown on this page is in itself an error as it says that they were married Apr. 9. 1734 and that would be unlikely since Samuel Bridge Jr. was born Jan. 6, 1734-5 according to page 287 of the book and elseware. The marriage date for Samuel Sr. and Susanna Page ( I have not located anyone spelled Paige connected with the Bridge name and thus have dropped it) should read Apr. 7, 1731 as is shown elsewhere.

Susanna (Page) Bridge died on Jan. 16, 1734-35 (probably from complications due to childbirth but that is just conjecture on my part and hasn't been stated by anything I could find)

Second: Martha Bowman didn't marry Samuel Bridge Sr. until Apr. 27, 1738, better than 3-4 years after the birth of Samuel Bridge Jr. and therefore was not his mother.

I am 77 years old and by no means a Rocket Scientist but I find it hard to believe that nobody has caught this before even though I have attempted to bring it to the attention of other Genealogy websites. Doesn't anyone do any proof reading of what is written in this field? If I were younger I could make a career outof correcting the mistakes I have discovered in just a couple of years.

My name is David M. Bridge and Samuel Bridge Jr. was my GGGG Grandfather and traces back to John Bridge The Puritan who arrived in America in 1632 and whose statue now stands on Cambridge Common, Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA. I have also traced my Bridge line forward to my own grandchildren but have had trouble putting this on most family trees because of the road blocks thrown up by each individual genealogical website and have almost given up trying.  I'm hoping for better results this time but I'm not holding my breath.

David M. Bridge, NCC(SS) USN Retired (Dave) email: dbridge1979@gmail.com

Comments

I clicked the profile manager of John Townsend Bridge and posted in her private message box  that she should read what you have written.

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My dear cousin was right there was a mistake. I already had his mother in Wikitree but because he already had a mother my data did not link, or what ever. But the poor boy now has the proper mother. She needs some more clean up, but this 85 year old is tired tonight :-)

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I have email cousin David 3x with no reply.

Here is my last message

I am so glad you brought my attention back to the Bridge Family.

I began rereading my copy of

Descendants of John Townsend Bridge (1778-1825) of Massachusetts, Butler County, Ohio ... Marilyn Bridge Brown. M.B. Brown, 1992 - Indiana - 189 pages.

She make mention of another new book

John Bridge family in America. 1988 supplement : this contains data which are meant to help update "Genealogy of the John Bridge family in America, 1632-1924"

by Rev. William Dawson Bridge, published by the Murray Printing Company, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1924  by Dr. Carl J. Bridge

 

It is so exciting to have some new information.

 

Laura Scott

your 4th cousin once removed