Who was the wife of John Brooke (1553-1584)?

Question

While attempting to complete the merging of duplicate ancestors-- in this case the ancestor of an emigrating Puritan Migration ancestor-- we've come across conflictng information about a maternal line-- namely the wife of John Brooke. We know her name was Elizabeth Whatman, and that she had brothers who went by the last name Whetman. But there is conflicting information about who HER parents were. And of course the only source provided thus far are from unsourced family trees on our favorite commercial genealogy site...

This topic will be used to share what we can document so that we may conclude the merges of duplicates.

Comments

Claimed parents on existing (duplicate) profiles:

	Father	Mother
Elizabeth Whitman-1681	None	None
Elizabeth Whatman or water-1	Thomas Whatman-6	Alice Whatman-5
Elizabeth Whetman-8	none	Alice Unknown
Elizabeth Whitman-132	Edward Whitman-195	Bridget Caroline Kellend-1

 

Answer 1

Valore, Hyde & Nelson, "The Brookes of London," The American Genealogist, 55 (1979):198-199:

John Brooke married, 8 May 1554, Elizabeth Waterman [sic], both of St. Leonard's, and she must have been the Elizabeth Broke who was a legatee of clothing in his mother's will of 1566... The marriage record seems to have garbled her surname, as in her will, as we shall see, she alludes to Elizabeth and William Whetman, children of her brother. Even here, the surname may not be quite right. The will shows connections to both Horsham, Sussex and Bletchinglee, now Bletchingley, Surrey. The connection with Horsham is not relevant here, since the will of her mother-in-law has shown that the connection with Horsham began, at least, in the previous generation. Mrs. Hyde and Mr. Nelson amassed a considerable bundle of data about persons named Whatman, of which Whetman must be a variant, from the registers of Bletchingley. Since our Elizabeth was undoubtedly born before the parish registers begin, her own baptism was not found... There was, however, a Thomas Whatman (died there 6 Feb 1566/7) who by wife Alice... fathered four children... [including the Elizabeth and William who] are good candidates to be the niece and nephew of these same names who are mentioned in their aunt's will in 1599. Moreover, in the Bletchingley register is one item of crucial value, to wit, the burial of Mary Broke on 16 Dec. 1557, the only occurrence of the name Brooke at Bletchingley before 1667. The chronology fits perfectly a child of John and Elizabeth (Whatman) Brooke.

Elizabeth (Whatman) Brooke surely belonged to the Whatman family of Bletchingley but we have not discovered her parents. 

"Ancestry of President R.B. Hayes," in The American Genealogist, 56 (___):235:

1402. JOHN[B] BROOKE, b. ca. 1525, d. shortly before 8 July 1584, leatherseller; m [at St. Leonard's nigh Eastcheap, London] 8 May 1554 (TAG 55:198-203)

1403. ELIZABETH WHATMAN, prob. of Bletchinglee, Surrey, bur. at St. Leonard's Eastcheap, London, 30 Jun 1599.

Answer 2

From a review of LDS indexes of parish records at familysearch.org. None of these couples is old enough to be the parents of Elizabeth Whatman who married John Brooke.

 

Wyllm. Whatman, b abt 1515 m abt 1540 Joan/Johan/Jone _____. Children:

1.     Jane Whatman, chr 23 Feb 1541.<ref> "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JWK7-9Y8 : accessed 07 Apr 2014), Jane Whatman, 23 Feb 1541; citing BLETCHINGLEY,SURREY,ENGLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 97133.</ref>

2.     Elizabeth Whatman, chr 9 Sep 1543<ref>"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NRMG-1HT : accessed 07 Apr 2014), Elizabeth Whatman, 09 Sep 1543; citing BLETCHINGLEY, SURREY, ENGLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 97133.</ref>

3.     Thomas Whatman, chr 16 Jul 1647<ref>"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NRMG-N84) accessed 07 Apr 2014), Thomas Whatman, 16 Jul 1547; citing BLETCHINGLEY, SURREY, ENGLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 97133.</ref>

 

Wyllm. Whatman, b abt 1540; m abt 1565 ______. Might be the Wyllm. Whatman who married 12 Oct 1561 Cicely Homes.<ref> "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N216-4Q5 : accessed 07 Apr 2014), Wyllm. Whatman and Cicely Homes, 12 Oct 1561; citing Bletchingley, Surrey, England, reference ; FHL microfilm 307759, 97133.</ref>

Children:

1.     Wyllm. Whatman, chr 27 Jan 1567.<ref> "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NB87-33R : accessed 07 Apr 2014), Wyllm. Whatman, 27 Jan 1567; citing BLETCHINGLEY, SURREY, ENGLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 97133.</ref> Good candidate for he who m. 19 Sep 1589 Fillis Wilamson.<ref> "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N216-Q8W : accessed 07 Apr 2014), William Whatman and Fillis Wilamson, 19 Sep 1589; citing Bletchingley,Surrey,England, reference ; FHL microfilm 307759, 97133.</ref>

2.     Margret Whatman, chr 13 Aug 1570.<ref>"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NRMG-YX9 : accessed 07 Apr 2014), Margret Whatman, 13 Aug 1570; citing BLETCHINGLEY, SURREY, ENGLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 97133.</ref>

 

Thomas Whatman, b abt 1525. He is likely BROTHER of Elizabeth, and his surviving children below are likely the niece and nephew mentioned in Elizabeth Whatman Brooke's 1599 will; he m abt 1550 Ales_____. Children:

1.     Elysabeth Whatman, chr 1 Nov 1552.<ref> "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NB87-WHV : accessed 07 Apr 2014), Elysabeth Whatman, 01 Nov 1552; citing BLETCHINGLEY, SURREY, ENGLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 97133.</ref>

2.     Wyllm. Whatman, chr 5 Sep 1562.<ref> "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J9S1-Y94 : accessed 07 Apr 2014), Wyllm. Whatman, 06 Sep 1562; citing BLETCHINGLEY, SURREY, ENGLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 97133.</ref>

3.     Benet. Whatman, chr 5 Aug 1565.<ref> "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J9S1-TQV : accessed 07 Apr 2014), Benet. Whatman, 05 Aug 1565; citing BLETCHINGLEY,SURREY,ENGLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 97133.</ref> Only father’s name mentioned in parish record.

 

Nicholas Whatman, b abt 1540; m 9 Nov 1562 Jelya. Laurence.<ref> "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N21D-BWG : accessed 07 Apr 2014), Nycholas Whatman and Jelya. Laurence, 09 Nov 1562; citing Bletchingley, Surrey, England, reference ; FHL microfilm 307759, 97133.</ref>

 

Nycolas Kyng, b abt 1542; m27 Nov 1567 Alys Whatman, b abt 1547. [Is she possibly a widow? wife "Ales" of Thomas, above?

I couldn't find any Bletchingley death/burial records.

 

Answer 3

Using the findings posted here, I have merged dupes into Elizabeth Whatman-10, detaching all supposed parents, but linking to them in the narrative, adding citations. I've also project-protected her so her LNAB can't be merged away. 

Their duplicate children can now be merged.