Alice (Beebe) Stratton (abt. 1600 - bef. 1656)

Born about 1600 in Great Addington, Northamptonshire, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Wife of Samuel Stratton Sr. — married about 1624 (to before 5 Oct 1656) in Bedfordshire, England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died before 5 Oct 1656 before about age 56 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Bobbie Hall [send private message] and Randy Beebe [send private message]

Biography

Disputed parents

From the early days when this profile of Alice Beebe was first posted on Wikitree, there has been an active debate among the contributing genealogists concerning whether, or not, Alice Beebe, daughter of Alexander Beebe and Elizabeth (Hull) Beebe was, in fact, the same Alice ___ , who was the first wife of Samuel Stratton of Watertown, Massachusetts. At that time little information was available to refute or support this marital assertion, but recently (2020) a substantial body of source information has been gathered, correlated, and analyzed, and it can now be stated with a high degree of confidence that this Alice Beebe was indeed the first wife of Samuel Stratton, and she emigrated with Samuel to America and subsequently died sometime between 1649 and 27 June 1657 at Watertown, Massachusetts; the latter date being the second marriage date of her widowed husband, Samuel Stratton. The following profile is offered in support of this proposition.

Alice Beebe, daughter of Alexander Beebe and Elizabeth Hull, was born about 1594 probably at Great Addington, Northamptonshire, England. The principal primary document offering a foundational insight into the life of Alice Beebe is the 13 March 1633, Great Addington, Northamptonshire, England last will and testament of her mother, Elizabeth (Hull) Beebe, wife of Alexander Beebe, ^[1] from which the following information regarding Alice may be extracted:

1. ) She is the daughter of Elizabeth Beebe and by inference, the daughter of Alexander Beebe. This relationship is corroborated by the will of her brother James Beebe.
2. ) She is identified as the wife of Samuel Stratton.
3. ) She is confirmed to have been the mother of at least two children by 13 March 1633 in the will of her brother.
4. ) She has a brother John Beebe, and four sisters all identified by their married surnames; Joan (Beebe) Reynolds, Sarah (Beebe) Love, Ann (Beebe) Hans, and Elizabeth (Beebe) Cranke.
5. ) Her named siblings, husband, and unnamed children were alive in 1633. Alice and her children are granted bequests and Alice is cited as the wife of Samuel Stratton, not his widow.
6. ) Great Addington, Northamptonshire, England is the homestead of her origin and as the home of the bride also the probable location of her marriage to Samuel Stratton.
7. ) Alice (Beebe) Stratton and her children were living within reasonable commuting (walking) distance of Great Addington on 13 March 1633; because Alice was present as a witness when the will was written and she and her children received bequests of large physical objects and livestock.
8. ) She was the daughter of a strong, fair-minded, and independent-thinking woman; that is to say her widowed mother named her daughters as heirs and went as far as naming a daughter to be the executor of her will in the year 1633. (Unlike her husband Alexander who failed to even mention the existence of his five daughters in his will.)

This is the only known primary document in which Alice is clearly identified as Alice Beebe by birth and Alice Stratton, wife of Samuel by marriage, and the underlying reason for this limitation is that Great Addington parish registers and bishop's transcripts prior to 1692 are unavailable ^[2]; they have somehow been lost, damaged, or destroyed. Thus, no birth nor marriage records for Alice Beebe are extant. There are numerous other documents which identify Alice as either Alice Beebe or Alice Stratton, but this is the only document which binds the two identities as a single person.

Evidence linking Alice Beebe to be the wife of Samuel Stratton of Massachusetts

While the 1633 will ^[1] of Elizabeth (Hull) Beebe establishes, in absolute terms, that Alice Beebe was her daughter, thus Alice Beebe, and also the wife of Samuel Stratton, thus Alice Stratton; the document does not establish that the particular Samuel Stratton she married was indeed the Samuel Stratton who emigrated Watertown, Massachusetts in 1633. ^[3] However, a preponderance of circumstantial evidence has been gathered which corroborates the assertion that Alice Beebe, daughter of Ellizabeth was indeed Alice Stratton, the wife of Samuel Stratton of Watertown, Mass. This circumstantial case is as follows:

The first element required to establish whether or not the Samuel Stratton of Watertown, Mass was the husband of Alice Beebe of Great Addington, is to determine whether or not there was a reasonable probability that Alice Beebe and Samuel Stratton would have had the opportunity to meet and get to know each other sufficiently well to effect a marriage. The first component of this question is that of geographic proximity, i.e. did they live close enough to each other to have a reasonable chance of meeting, and the answer to this question is provided by Stratton and Wheeler in their The American Genealogist articles, where they establish with a high probability of being correct, that the Samuel Stratton of Watertown, Mass was born and raised in Podington, Bedfordshire, England, the ancestral home of his father and siblings as established in the will of his father John Stratton, and was his certain residence at the time of the baptisms of his first two sons Samuel Stratton Jr. and Richard Stratton. It is also worth noting that Puddington, Bedfordshire and Great Addington, Northamptonshire, despite being in different English counties, are within 10 miles of each other, hence nearby in the context of a sparsely populated rural area and well within reasonable social connection distance by horse, by foot, or by ox cart. It is known from Mass. records that Samuel Stratton Sr. was married to an Alice of unknown surname in his early years in Massachusetts, but neither Eugene Stratton nor Wheeler found any evidence nor are they are able to offer any suggestion as to the maiden surname of this wife Alice. Nevertheless, the essential element of these publications, in this context, is that they identified, beyond a reasonable doubt that Puddington (or as known today, Podington) was the ancestral home of Samuel Stratton Sr. and birthplace of his two oldest sons and that his two youngest sons were baptized in the nearby parish of Carlton. In fact, Wheeler identifies a total of twelve of Samuel Stratton's nieces and nephews who were baptized in the Puddington parish, along with two of his four sons; and that all three of his sisters were married in the Puddington parish. As noted, the third and fourth sons of Samuel Stratton were baptized in Carlton which is still only 15.6 miles, by present day roads from Great Addington, but clearly within a day's travel time for the period. Thus the evidence from the perspective of geographic proximity argues that it was not only possible, but probable that they would have met.

Thus as the will of Elizabeth Beebe ^[1] establishes with absolute certainty that her daughter Alice Beebe was married to a Samuel Stratton, and the work of Eugene Stratton and Raymond D. Wheeler establish that Samuel Stratton of Massachusetts and Alice Beebe of Great Addington, were raised in a geographic proximity sufficiently close to ensure a reasonable probability that they could have known each other socially. The next question, then, is whether any reliable evidence exists to support the assertion that Alice Beebe, daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth Hull Beebe, and Samuel Stratton, son of John Stratton of Podington would have had the opportunity to know each other well enough to effect a marriage? The answer to this question is a resounding yes, and comes in the form of the marriage record ^[4] of John Beebe and Alice Stratton, who were married at Podington, Bedfordshire on 11 Oct 1623. It can be shown, to a high degree of certainty, that the groom, John Beebe, in this marriage was the brother of Alice Beebe of this profile, and that the bride, Alice Stratton, in this marriage was the sister of Samuel Stratton (of Podington and Watertown, Massachusetts), therefore Alice Beebe and Samuel Stratton became brother-in-law and sister-n-law before they were married probably in the summer of 1624, this marriage date assertion based on the Podington baptism of their son Samuel Jr on 10 Feb 1625. Thus the concatenation of the will of Elizabeth Beebe, the Podington marriage record of John Beebe ^[4] and Alice Stratton, and the numerous Podington records tying Samuel Stratton of Massachusetts to Podington, Bedford England provide a 100% certain primary document affirmation that the Beebe family of Great Addington was connected, to the Stratton family of Puddington by the marriage of John Beebe and Alice Stratton, and nearly as certain (sans a Great Addington marriage record) probability that the families were further doubly connected by the marriage of Samuel Stratton and Alice Beebe. It should also be noted that the close spacing of these marriage dates suggests that John Beebe and Alice Beebe were adjacent, or close in the birth order; as would be Samuel Stratton and his sister Alice Stratton.

There is a final circumstantial argument affirming Alice Beebe to be the first wife of Samuel Stratton of Massachusetts which Eugene Stratton used in his 1990 TAG paper ^[5] to link Samuel Stratton of Mass. to the Samuel Stratton of Podington, England. During his research, Stratton performed a county by county search of the 1984 IGI records of England to find any and all instances of records for a Samuel Stratton, husband of Alice, and father of Samuel Jr., Richard, and John, and reports that the search "did not yield anything promising, although it did show that a Samuel Stratton had a son Joseph baptized in Carlton, Bedfordshire on 23 Aug 1629 and a son John baptized in Carlton on 14 Oct. 1632--not enough to go on by itself." Eugene then goes on to write that "the expanded coverage of the 1988 IGI" included the parish of Puddington (also called Podington) Bedfordshire, and here we find ... Therefore, Eugene Stratton argues that Samuel Stratton Sr. of Watertown, Massachusetts was the same Samuel Stratton of Podington, Bedfordshire, England on the basis of two facts, first and foremost, the baptism data on three of the four sons of Samuel of Podington being highly correlated to known properties of the three sons of Samuel Stratton of Mass., and secondly, this was the only relevant data he was able to find, using the known search parameters from the life of Samuel Stratton of Mass. in the IGI index for all of England. Clearly an exclusion of this sort is not a proof, but it is supplementary and does serve to substantiate his point of origin assertion. This argument of exclusion on the basis of the absence of a viable competing Samuel Stratton identity may also be applied to the factual marriage of Samuel Stratton and Alice Beebe as documented in the will of her mother.

As a final check regarding the circumstantial connection between Alice Beebe and Samuel Stratton of Watertown, Mass., the will of Elizabeth Beebe and the marriage of John Beebe suggests the following properties for Samuel Stratton should hold true:

1. ) Samuel Stratton should be rooted in Puddington Bedfordshire, England. True.
2. ) Samuel Stratton should have at least two children by 1633 (the will of Alice's brother James requires Samuel Stratton to have at least two children by 1631). True, Samuel had three sons bapt. by 1629.
3. ) The marriage record of Samuel Stratton and Alice Beebe should be in the Great Addington parish records (domicile of the bride) and as these parish records are known to be missing, it should not be possible to find a marriage record for Samuel Stratton and Alice Beebe. This is true.
4. ) Samuel Stratton, Alice (Beebe) Stratton, and at least two of their children would have to be alive and living in reasonable proximity to Great Addington on 13 March 1633, for two reasons: first, Alice {Beebe} Stratton signed the will of her mother as a witness, and second, there would have been no merit for Elizabeth (Hull) Beebe to make a bequest of large durable goods and livestock to her daughter Alice (Beebe) Stratton and her children if they did not live nearby. This is probably true, but there is an immigration record with an imprecise date of 1633 sometimes cited as that of Samuel Stratton of Mass. The American Ancestors study does not include this document and the exact date of embarkation to America by the Strattons is not known.

Birth

An examination of the indexed Great Addington parish records reveals that none of the Northamptonshire parish records for Great Addington exist prior 1692 nor any of the Bishops transcripts prior to 1706, thus there are no baptismal nor marriage records for Alice Beebe. However, a reasonable range of birth dates may be established using other accurately documented anchor dates, and in this case using the 21 August 1631 date of her brother Jame Beebe's will^[6] serves as accurate and precise anchor date for this purpose. This will, rather than that of the mother Elizabeth, is chosen because it happens earlier and is more restrictive as it names the children as minors. From the will of her brother James it is known that by 21 August 1631 Alice was married and the mother of at least two minor children. First, to establish extreme bounds, assume rushed values for life events as follows: marriage at age 18, birth of the first child a year later and the birth of the second child a year after would mean that Alice would have had to have been born at least 20 years prior to 21st August 1631 or no later than 1611. At the other, early birth date extreme it is known that all of her children named in James' will were minors thus if the eldest child was 20, then the youngest would have been about 18 and assuming the onset of menopause at age 40, she may have been as much as 58 years of age in 1631, or born some time after 1573. Therefore the range of birth dates for Alice Beebe lies between the years 1573 and 1611 having a midpoint date of 1592, and her oldest child would have had to have been born between 1611 and 1629.

There is supplemental information which may be used to narrow her probable birth date range, specifically, it is known from the work of Dr. Alan Henry ^[7] that Alice's brother John Beebe was cited to be forty years plus at the time of his brother James' death inquest; it is also known that this brother John married Alice Stratton of Podington on 11 Oct 1623; ^[4] and that she married Samuel Stratton, almost certainly a brother to her sister-in-law Alice Stratton. When siblings from one family marry siblings from a second family it is usually a consequence of the siblings being close in age, and all in the courtship, mate-seeking phase of their lives and the marriages are often closely grouped in time. It seems probable this was the case for couples John Beebe/Alice Stratton and Samuel Stratton/Alice Beebe, suggesting that Samuel and Alice were married sometime around 1623 and that Alice Beebe was perhaps in her mid-twenties at the time, hinting at a circa 1600 date of birth.; note that Alice Beebe is listed toward the end of the list in the naming of heirs in both her mother Elizabeth's and her brother James' will suggesting that she was toward the end of the birth order and perhaps slightly younger than John and James. Allowing that Alice Beebe was indeed the wife of Samuel Stratton Sr. of Watertown, Mass., then she would have been the mother of Samuel Stratton Jr. who was born on 10 Feb 1625 (a good fit to the previously established first child date of birth range) and suggestive of a later date of birth for Alice, perhaps 1600-1605, also perfectly attuned to the date of birth analysis for Alice based on her brother James' will.

Marriage

Samuel Stratton married probably in England, possibly as his first wife, Alice ____, who died between 1649 and 27 June 1657, the date of his (2nd?) marriage at Boston. ^[5]

Children

Children of Samuel: ^[8]

1. Samuel, bp. Podington 10 Feb 1625[/6].
2. Richard, bp. 18 Nov 1627 Podington, d. 8 Apr 1657 Watertown, Mass., aged about 30.
3. Joseph, bp. 23 Aug 1629 Carlton, co. Bedford.
4. John, bp. 14 Oct 1632 Carlton.

Genealogical Records

Marriage Records

• Primary Source, England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973 ^[4] Data Extract:

1. ) England, Select Marriages; John Beebe married Alice Stratton at Pudington, Bedford, England on 11 Oct 1623. Text only no image. {Editorial, this marriage record in conjunction with the wills of Alexander Beebe, James Beebe and Elizabeth (Hull) Beebe, corroborates the assertion that John Beebe, brother of Alice Beebe, married Alice Stratton, sister of Samuel Stratton at Podington, England in 1623.}

Death Records

• Secondary Source (biography), Find A Grave Index ^[9] Data Summary:

1. ) Find A Grave: Memorial #135904242: Alice (Beebe) Stratton, daughter of Alexander Beeby (1555–1624) and Elizabeth (Hull) Beeby (1560–1634), was born in 1594 at Northamptonshire, England, and she died 5 Oct 1656 (aged 61–62) at Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA.
   1. ) Marriage. Alice (Beebe) Stratton married Samuel Stratton (1592–1672).
   2. ) Children:
      1. ) Samuel Stratton (1625–1707)
      2. ) Richard Stratton (1627–1658)
      3. ) Joseph Stratton (1629 – unknown)
      4. ) John Stratton (1632–1720)
2. ) BURIAL. Alice (Beebe) Stratton was buried in the Old Burying Place at Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA.
   1. ) Find a Grave Notes: "Alice was born in England about 1594, probably in Northamptonshire. She was the daughter of Alexander Beebe and Elizabeth Hull. She married Samuel Stratton in England before 1629. Samuel and Alice had three sons born in England. They moved to New England and Alice last appeared in the records of Watertown, Massachusetts in 1647. They probably didn’t have any more children in America. Alice died sometime before 1657, surely in Watertown. She was buried in the Old Burying Place in Watertown. (Information from New England Families by William R. Cutter; the History of Watertown, Massachusetts; a website devoted to the Beebe family and the Stratton website.) "
      1. ) "Alice's husband Samuel Stratton remarried on August 28, 1657 to Margaret Bowling Parker, widow of William Parker and daughter of Thomas Bowling. Bio By: Ken Smith (#46985536)"
   2. ) Inscription, "{No Tombstone Photo}"

Probate Court Records

Will of Elizabeth (Hull) Beebe, mother of Alice (Beebe) Stratton:

• Primary Source, The Will of Elizabeth Beeby, wife of Alexander, of Great Addington, ^[1] Data Extract:

1. ) Partial Transcription of the Will of Elizabeth Beeby reproduced from the files of Steve Walker of Desford, England. This transcription of the will of Eliozabeth Beeby has been reproduced in Wikitree by permission of Les Sullivan (29 Feb 2020). The Will of Elizabeth Beby of Great Addington. Written 13th March 1633, Probate 17th April 1634
   1. ) to be buried at the discretion of my executor
   2. ) to Joane my daughter now wife of Richard Reynolds 2 strike of wheat, 5 strike of barley, my best hat and my gray gowne.
   3. ) to the children of my said daughter Jone 10 shillings apeece to be paid within 6 months of my decease.
   4. ) to Anne my daughter now wife of John Hans a spitt a greene apron and a red petticoat. And to her 2 daughters either of them a coffer and to them one half of all my linnen 4 feather pillowes with beerds 1 blankett a couling and 4 brass kettles.
   5. ) to Elizabeth my daughter now wife of Peter Cranke one half of all my linnen a red coffer with a lock half a dozen peecs of pewter, a saltsellar, a lettin candlestick, 2 feather bolsters a chaire a kinnell my linnen whoole and winding blades 2 buffis stocks, my cheese racke, a frame yt standeth in my parlour to lay vessels upon, a barrell to put drinks in, a matteris, a grey petticoat my best coller gowne and a parcel of wooll.
   6. ) to Alice my daughter now wife of Samuel Stratton my best least bedd a matteriss a featherbed my best to ing a brankett ye best a great tub, a boalting lumme twenty pounds of linnen yarne and a little choare bottoms with ruffes.
   7. ) the rest of my linnen yarne to my daughters Anne and Sarah between them.
   8. ) I give to Anne Love my Grandchild my bedstead wherein I usually lye and a coffar which hath no lock.
   9. ) I give to the children of my daughter Alice an ewe and a lambe and my weather sheep. {Affirms Alice (Beebe) Stratton was the mother of at least two children prior to 1633/34 and that Alice and her children were living within reasonable commuting (walking or ox cart) distance at the time the will was written, otherwise it would not make sense to make a bequest of large physical objects and sheep.}
   10. ) I give unto my daughter Sara's my pease land now sowne the other unsowne I give to my sonne John his sonnes.
   11. ) I give to my daughter Sara my best gowne.
   12. ) I give to my daughter Elizabeth a strike of barley apeece
   13. ) All ye rest of my goods not given nor bequeathed, my legacies performed and my funeral expences discharged I give and bequeath to Sara my daughter who I make sole and full executrix of this my last will and testament. And I ordaine my sonne John Beby supervisor thereof.
2. ) witnesses, Thomas Cox, clerk; An Hans; Alice Stratton. Signed: Elizabeth Bebe her mark.
3. ) Probatim 17.4.1634 … Sara fil et exec…
4. ) Reproduced from the notes of Steve Walker who transcribed the original documents.

Last Will and Testament of James Beebe, brother of Alice Beebe

• Primary Source, Partial Transcription of the Will of James Bebye, son of Alexander, of Great Addington, ^[6] Data Extract:

1. ) Partial Transcription of the Will of James Bebye reproduced from the files of Steve Walker of Desford, England. This transcription of the will of James Bebye has been reproduced in Wikitree by permission of Les Sullivan (29 Feb 2020). The Will of James Bebye of Great Addington; Written 21st August 1631 and Proved 14th September 1631:
   1. ) all my messages, lands, tenements and hereditaments + appt unto John Bebye my natural brother
   2. ) to be buried at the discretion of my executor
   3. ) my sister Sara to have her dwelling house in some of my messages for and during the term of her natural life. Also 1 cow and a load of hay each year during her life towards the maintainance of her cow.
   4. ) to the children of my sister Sara xx£ apeece, at age 21
   5. ) to the children of my sister Joane xx£ apeece, at age 21
   6. ) to the children of my sister Eliza xx£ apeece, at age 21
   7. ) to the children of my sister Anne xx£ apeece, at age 21
   8. ) to the children of my sister Alice xx£ apeece, at age 21. {Editorial: affirms Alice was the sister of James and John Beebe, (who was the husband of Alice Stratton), as well as other siblings cited in Elizabeth (Hull) Beebe's will, and that she was the mother of more than one child by Sept 1631; furthermore one or more of these children were born after 1610.}
   9. ) to the poor of the parish xs at next Christmas
   10. ) to John my servant vs
   11. ) to Edward Morton xs
   12. ) the rest to John Bebye my brother and sole executor
2. ) witnesses, Thomas Cox, clarke, Edward Morton, William Bolney; signed James Bebye
   1. ) debts owing to testator: Thomas Dewberry v£, Henry Jerman xxs/d, Thomas Percivall xviiid/s
   2. ) Probatim 14.9.1631 fratri John Beebee
3. ) Reproduced from the notes of Steve Walker who transcribed the original documents.

Last will and testament of Alexander Beebe, the father of Alice (Beebe) Stratton. The primary point of interest in this document, with regard to Alice, is that Alexander does not mention Alice nor any of his daughters (in marked contrast to the will of his widow above) in his will:

• Primary Source, Alexander Beebie, The Will of Alexander Beebie of Great Addington, ^[10] Data Extract:

1. ) Partial Transcription of the Will of Alexander Beeby reproduced from the files of Steve Walker of Desford, England and the publication of Les Sullivan. The Will of Alexander Beebie, shoemaker of Great Addington. Will dated 20th February 1623, Probate April 1624
   1. ) I Alexander Beebi of Great Addington shoemaker
      1. ) to James my second sonne that piece of meadow and appurtanances which I had purchased to me and my hayres of Richard Currier, clarke. To have and to hold the same to him the said James his heires forever from and after the decease of Elizabeth my wyfe whom I give the same during her natural life. Item. I give and bequeath unto James my sonne one of my shedd carts and a muck carte - draughte with the kype as now it is. Item. I give and bequeath unto all my Grandchildren two shillings apiece. Item. I give to Elizabeth my wyfe and John my eldest sonne all my croppes and other goodes as well reall as personal to be equally divided between them. I appoint my wife Elizabeth my full executrix.
   2. ) In witness Thomas Cox, clarke, John Beebie, James Beebie
   3. ) Alexander Beebie.
   4. ) Aobatim ~.4.1624
   5. ) Invy exhibit ad Li£ iis iiiid
2. ) Reproduced from the notes of Steve Walker who transcribed the original documents.

Published Genealogical Information

• Secondary Source, Dr. Alan D. Henry, The Beebe Family in Northamptonshire, ^[7] Data Extract:

1. ) Northamptonshire Beebe Family; Second Generation, 2. Alexander Beeby
   1. ) Alexander Beeby was born circa 1550 in England, he married in 1578 Elizabeth Hull at Stoke Doyle, England and he died in 1623 at Gr. Addington, Northamptonshire, England. Occupation: shoemaker.
   2. ) Witness to a 1608 land purchase in Gr. Addington; and became a Gr. Addinton landowner solely and also with his son John in 1610. {No specific documents cited}
   3. ) Cited as a witness in the will of his brother John in 1622
   4. ) Partial transcription of the Will of Alexander Beebe. {See above ^[10]
   5. ) Elizabeth Beeby, widow of Alexander left an oral will recorded 13 March 1633 and proved 17 April 1634. Her will makes bequests to her four daughters (with identification of their husbands), son John, and grand daughter Ann Love.
   6. ) Children of Alexander Henry and Elizabeth Hull; {Editorial Note: Alexander Beebe does not mention any daughters in his will, but Joan, Anne, Elizabeth, Alice and Sarah are all cited as the daughters of Elizabeth Beeby in her 1634 will'; furthermore his son James names these same women as his sisters in his 1631 will.}
      1. ) Joan Beebe; b. ca. 1580; m. 1612 Richard Reynolds at Old Weston, Cambridgeshire, England.
      2. ) Anne Beeby; b. ca. 1583; m. John Hans; had two daughters in 1634 at the time of her mother's death.
      3. ) Elizabeth Beeby; b. ca. 1586; m. Peter Cranke; d. after 1653.
      4. ) Alice Beeby; b. ca. 1594; m. Samuel Stratton. Had children.
      5. ) John Beeby; b. ca. 1591
      6. ) James Beeby; b. ca. 1596; d. 29 Aug 1631. Never married.
      7. ) Sara Beeby

• Secondary Source, Harriet Russell Stratton, A Book of Strattons; Volume I; ^[11] Data Extract:

1. ) Book of Strattons, Vol I, Page 157: This book contains a chapter (page 153 to 182) on the "Strattons of Watertown, Massachusetts," which provides a detailed biography and genealogy of Samuel Stratton and his family based on historic records of Watertown, Massachusetts; the author posits an (erroneous) guess that this family was from Kent England, based on their port of departure from England, but the text fails to establish a connection to the ancestral homeland of the family. The text identifies Samuel's wife, at the time of their immigration to be Alice, but it does not identify her maiden name.
   1. ) "Samuel Stratton was born in England about 1592, and settled in Watertown, Mass, with his wife Alice, as early, at least as 1647. Before 1657 Alice died. The date of her death has not been learned. The last mention that has been found of her is November 9, 1649).
   2. ) June 27, 1657, Samuel married Margaret, daughter of Thomas Bowlins, and widow of William Parker of Scituate and Boston. They were married in Boston by Governor John Endicott. Margaret died, a widow, in Watertown and Concord, --several lots, with mansion, barn orchard, etc. His descendants are found today in almost every state in the Union. More than two thousand of them have been traced. In almost every case they are among the substantial citizens of the towns in which they dwell,--many occupy positions of trust and honor."
2. ) Book of Stratton; page 158-161: A photocopy of the original Will, a transcription thereof, and a itemization of the inventory of the estate is included in this section of the text.
3. ) Book of Stratton; page 161: Children of Samuel Stratton, Born in England:
   1. ) Samuel Stratton; d. 1707, in Concord.
   2. ) John Stratton; d. 1720, in Watertown.
   3. ) Richard Stratton; b. 1629; di. 1658, in Watertown.
   4. ) Although there is nothing in Samuel Stratton's will to indicate that he had other children than these three sons, it is not at all improbable that there were ohters who remained in England. A more thorough study of the Strattons of County of Kent, Eng., might discover the baptismal records of his children, and establish his line there, --and might account for other Strattons of New England. {Editorial, this 1908 assertion that the Samuel Stratton family was from Kent County England has proven to be incorrect, they were, in fact, from Bedfordshire County.}

• Secondary Source, William Richard Cutter, A. M.; New England Families, Vol. IV, ^[12] Data Extract:

1. ) New England Families, V4; Page 1858:: "(1) Samuel Stratton was born in 1592, Probably in county Kent, England, according to the Stratton genealogy, but there is a strong probability that he was a brother of John Stratton, mentioned above, and uncle of another John Stratton who came to Watertown later. He is given the title of "Mr.," indicating social standing, He was in Watertown as early as 1647 and surveyor of town lots there. He deposed in 1672 that he was eighty years old and that his son John was thirty-nine. He and his sons took the oath of fidelity, December 6, 1652. Samuel Stratton was a man of sterling character and common sense. When Margaret Jones was executed for witchcraft he condemned the authorities in a manly outspoken fashion and was before the court in 1648. Both he and his wife were fined five pounds each for reflecting on the judgment of the court. Stratton refused to admit that his statement was wrong and he bad to pay an additional fine. His wife Alice died in 1657, or earlier. He married (second) June 27, 1657, Margaret {Bowling) Parker, widow of William Parker, daughter of Thomas Bowling. Governor Endicott officiated. She died at Watertown, December 7, 1676, aged eighty-one. He died December 18, 1672, bequeathing to wife, sons John and Samuel, and to grand-son Samuel, son of his deceased son Richard. Children: Samuel, mcentioned below; John, died 1720; Richard, bom 1629; and perhaps others who remained in England. {Editorial, content clearly extracted from the "Book of Strattons;" ^[11]; }

• Secondary Source, Melinde Lutz Sanborn, Second Supplement to Torrey's New England Marriages Prior to 1700. ^[13] Data extract:

1. ) Ancestry Record 3824 #900183846 @ Ancestry.com Image Pre-1700 Marriages, 2ndS; Page 62, Image 83 of 134: Samuel Stratton (c1592-1672) and first wife Alice ____ ( ____-1649); were married about 1624 probably near Puddington, Bedford {England}. Watertown/Boston. [TAG 65:200-202 & DR]. {Editorial Note: Torrey's is a compiled index of marriages and points to the information source from which each asserted marriage was derived. In this case it is "The American Genalogist," Vol 65, pg 200-202 and also the unpublished work of Douglas Richardson.}

• Secondary Source, Eugene A Stratton, The Possible Origin of Samuel Stratton of Watertown, Mass., ^[5] Data Extract:

1. ) Origin of Samuel Stratton, Page 200 - 202: This article published in the January 1990 edition of The American Genealogist documents the efforts of Eugene Stratton to pinpoint the English homestead of Samuel Stratton of Watertown, Massachusetts, (born ca. 1592) one of the original Strattons to settle in North America, and a patriarch of a major branch of the Stratton family in North America. Findings of Eugene Stratton's Research:
   1. ) Eugene performed an exhaustive scan of the 1984 International Genealogical Index (IGI) of every county in England for a Samuel Stratton having the following properties: born ca. 1592; not a high official, but of sufficient means to purchase property in Mass.; married to a woman named Alice ____; father of three sons, Samuel Jr., John and Richard. Sons Samuel Jr. and John are known to have married in Mass. on 1651 and 1658 respectively and hence likely born in the 1620's or 30's. Richard died in Massachusetts on 25 July 1658 and was thought to be about 30 years of age at his death.
      1. ) This search identified Church of England records from the parish of Carlton, Bedfordshire for the 23 Aug 1629 baptism of a Joseph Stratton, son of Samuel and a 14 Oct 1632 baptism of a John Stratton, also a son of Samuel. Eugene Stratton then states that this is interesting, but in the absence of further corroborating evidence is inconclusive.
   2. ) In 1988 the IGI was expanded to include the parish of Puddington (now called Podington) in Bedfordshire and Eugene's search of this index identified a 10 Feb 1625 baptismal record for Samuel Stratton Jr., son of Samuel and a 18 Nov 1627 baptism for Richard, son of Samuel in the Podington parish records. Eugene notes that Carlton and Puddington lie within five miles of each other and then notes the following items corroborate the case that these baptisms align with the Watertown, Massachusetts Strattons:
      1. ) The Bedfordshire, England baptisms of Samuel jr, John, and Richard, sons of Samuel Stratton, correlate perfectly with the known age data of adult sons Samuel Jr, John, and Richard of Watertown, Mass.
      2. ) There is no record of Joseph, son of Samuel in Watertown, however, both Samuel Jr and John named one of their sons Joseph. Samuel Jr. also named a son Richard, and all three sons named a son Samuel. Thus showing a strong tendency to name offspring after kinfolk.
      3. ) Other Strattons may be found in the Puddington parish records, but as the parish record begin in 1602 no birth records were found for Samuel Stratton Sr. nor was there any marriage record anywhere. A check for relevant wills in Carlton and Puddington came up empty.
2. ) Origin of Samuel Stratton, Page 202: Conclusions:
   1. ) There is a preponderance of evidence that makes a highly probable, but not conclusive case that the point of origin for the family of Samuel Stratton Sr. of Watertown, Massachusetts was Puddington, Bedfordshire, England.
   2. ) The previous point of origin assertions by earlier genealogists, are based on far less reliable data and in comparison to baptism records cited by Eugene Stratton appear exceedingly doubtful. In particular the Gravesend, Kent, England assertion by Harriet Stratton in The Book of Strattons is noted to be a point of departure for the transatlantic voyage rather than a point of origin.
   3. ) These baptismal records then support the following family model for Samuel Stratton Sr.: Samuel Stratton Sr. died on 25 Dec 1672 at the age of eighty at Watertown, Massachusetts; thus he was born in 1592, possibly at Puddington, Bedfordshire, England. Samuel married a woman named Alice ____ probably in England {the baptismal records make no mention the child's mother} who died between 1649 and 27 June 1657. Samuel subsequently married Margaret (Bowlins) Parker, daughter of Thomas Bowlins and widow of Wm Parker. Children of Samuel Stratton Sr. and Alice ____ (assuming she was his first wife):
      1. ) Samuel Stratton Jr.; bapt. 10 Feb 1625
      2. ) Richard Stratton; bapt. 18 Nov 1627;
      3. ) Joseph Stratton; bapt. 23 Aug 1629; and either remained in England or died young.
      4. ) John Stratton; bapt. 14 Oct 1632

• Secondary Source, Raymond David Wheeler, The Father of Samuel Stratton of Watertown, Massachusetts. from The American Genealogist, Vol 68, ^[8] Data Extract:

1. ) Samuel Stratton's Father, Page 84: Wheeler notes in the introduction to his paper that Eugene Stratton in a 1990 TAG paper ^[5] identified Podington as the probable English origin of the Samuel Stratton family of Watertown, Massachusetts, and found this paper inspiration to go to Bedfordshire Record office in search of the parents of Samuel Stratton. His quest paid off and Wheeler notes that he found a 3 June 1627 will of a John Stratton of Hinwick, Podington, England who bequeathed property to his son Samuel Stratton and six other siblings.
2. ) Samuel Stratton's Father, Page 85: Wheeler provides a full transcription of the will of John Stratton of Hinton in the parish of Podington, Bedfordshire, England. This will was written 3 June 1627 and proved 23 August 1627. The following transcription is quoted verbatum from the Wheeler paper:
   1. ) " ...I John Wheeler of Henwicke in the p{ari}ishe of Podington and countie of Bedford yeoman being weake in bodie but sound & perfect understandinge & minde... my bodie to be buried in the Church yard at Podington... First I give unto the pore of the p{ar}ishe of Podington six shillings eight pence. Item to my sonne Robert Stratton his children six sheepe and to his wife one cow. Item to John Bebe his wife one black heyfar to my sonn Wm his wife one browne heyfar. Itm to my sonne Samuel his wife a redde heyfar, to his sonne a ewe sheepe & a lambe. Itm to Anne Prentise my granndchild I give two heyfarrs a brindled one & a blacke one and foure of the best couples of ewes and lambes. Ite to Samuel {illegible} my godson {illegible} a lambe, to Jo Ber {illegible} my godson {illegible} to all my other godchildren {illegible} sheep It to Ales Simpson my maid ser[va]nte a hoggrell {ie a hoggrell is a two or three year old sheep} & a lambe. It to my brother Hulls two dumbe daughters xx^s to Richard Prentise my sonne {illegible} to my daughter Prentise a ewe lamb, to my sonne Frauncis Stratton xx^s to his wife xx^s to my daughter Judith xx^s ite to my sonne Roberte Stratton one flitch of bacan, to Will[ia]m Marriet on flitch of bacan {illegible deletion} to my sonne {interlined} Robart half {illegible} of corne & one {interlined} hogge, to his wife my wives gowne. Item my household stuff & the rest of my goods... I give unto... my sonne Willm Stratton Francis Stratton, Wm Merryet & Anne Prentise to be equally devided betwixt them. Ite to Frauncis Stratton I give halfe the plow tymber in the yard on sware of bees. The rest of my goods unbequeathed I give & bequeath to my eldest sonne Willm Stratton whom I make... sole executor... I appoint as Overseers of this my last will & testament to be my sonnes Frauncis Stratton & and Willm Marriett, to which Wm Marriet I further give him halfe of all my apparell. Signed by mark. Witnesses: Thom Witbie, Thom Stringer.
      1. ) Memorandum: that the xviiith day of June I have further given & granted to my sonn Samuel Stratton in full satisfaction for all prises & Bargaines that might be chalenged by the same Samuel the some of three pounds in the p{resen}ce of: Thom Whitbee, Richard Childe, Willm Sayer.
   2. ) Wheeler asserts that Alice Stratton wife of John Beebe married 1 Oct 1623 in Podington, was the unnamed daughter who received a "black heyfar" in her father's will and suggests that the crossout may have been because the Beebes received the heyfar prior to proof of the will. Wheeler also includes a footnote on page 85 that suggests that Alice's husband was the John Beebe (married to Rebecca Ladd) who perished at sea enroute to North America in 1650. {Editorial Note: This marriage assertion is incorrect; the identity of John Beebe has been conflated by Wheeler; there is a nearly 100% certain proof (provided in the profile of John Beebe, the Elder) showing that John Beebe, husband of Rebecca Ladd and immigrant to America was NOT the John Beebe who married Alice Stratton. The proof also shows that the John Beebe who married Alice Stratton was the son of Alexander and Elizabeth (Hull) and that John Beebe, husband of Alice Stratton, and John Beebe husband of Rebecca Ladd were first cousins. }
3. ) Samuel Stratton's Father, Page 84: Samuel Stratton's Father, Page 86:] On page 86 of his treatise, Wheeler offers a listing of the children and grandchildren of John Stratton compiled from the will of John Stratton as well as other named and unnamed sources (birth order uncertain). Children of John Stratton:
   1. ) William Stratton; b. circa 1586, m. Agnes ____.
      1. ) Thomas Stratton; bp 5 Nov 1626 Podington; bur. 11 March 1627, Podington.
      2. ) Jeremiah Stratton; bp 23 March 1628 at Podington;
      3. ) William Stratton; bp 12 July 1629 at Podington;
      4. ) Agnes Stratton ; bp 27 Nov 1631 at Podington;
      5. ) Dorcas Stratton ; bp 24 March 1633 at Podington;
      6. ) Stephen Stratton; bp 20 Aug 1634 at Podington;
      7. ) George Stratton; bp 7 March 1641 Podington;
   2. ) Robert Stratton; m. Jane ____
      1. ) Amy Stratton; named in grandfather's will.
   3. ) Elizabeth (Stratton) Prentice; b. circa 1590, m. Richard Prentice on 13 July 1609 at Podington.
      1. ) Anne Prentice; bapt. 29 Oct 1609 at Podington. Cited in grandfather's will.
   4. ) Samuel Stratton; b. circa 1592, m. 1st ca 1623 Alice ____, 2nd Margaret Bowlins Parker 27 Aug 1657 at Boston, MA; d. 25 Dec 1672 at Watertown, Mass
      1. ) Samuel Stratton; bp. 10 Feb 1625 at Podington, Eng.
      2. ) Richard Stratton; bp. 18 Nov 1627 at Podington, Eng.
      3. ) Joseph Stratton; bp. 23 Aug 1629 at Carlton, Eng.
      4. ) John Stratton; bp. 14 Oct 1632 at Carlton, Eng.
   5. ) Francis Stratton; b. est. 1594
      1. ) John Stratton; bp 12 Oct 1628 at Podington.
   6. ) Judith (Stratton) Marriott; b. est. 1596, m. William Marriott on 22 June 1618 at Podington
      1. ) Sybil Marriott; bp. 16 April 1619 at Podington, Eng
      2. ) Thomas Marriott; bp. 12 Jan 1622 at Podington, Eng
      3. ) John Marriott; bp. 27 Dec 1624 at Podington, Eng
   7. ) Alice (Stratton) Beebe; b. est. 1598, m. John Beebe 1 Oct 1623 at Podington
   8. ) Richard Stratton; bp. 8 May 1603, buried at Podington 18 Nov 1616.
   9. ) Thomas Stratton; buried 20 Apr 1604 at Podington.
   10. ) Agnes Stratton; buried 8 June 1604 at Podington.

Research Notes

1. Les Sullivan permission letter.
2. ) The following definitions and syntax conventions apply to the preceding text of this profile:
   1. ) A Primary Source contains data that was recorded by the person in the profile; or by someone known to or with first hand knowledge of that person, during the person's lifetime, death or within two generations thereafter.
   2. ) A Secondary Source is a genealogical reference created as the result of a extensive study of available source material and it provides some evidence of the source documentation used to generate the text data.
   3. ) A Tertiary Source is a genealogical data source which is a collection of genealogical information that does not cite Primary or Secondary information sources, and the data may be factual or hearsay.
   4. ) Braces {Editorial Note Example} are used to insert editorial comments; that is to say, information or clarification that is not contained in the original, cited source material.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Beeby, Elizabeth; Abridged Transcription of the Will of Elizabeth Beeby of Great Addington, Book AV, page 294, 1621-28; reproduced from the files of Steve Walker of Desford, England and published on the web site of Les Sullivan at The Beebe Family History Site..
2. ↑ Northamptonshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1532-1812
3. ↑ Virkus, Frederick A., editor. Immigrant Ancestors: A List of 2,500 Immigrants to America before 1750. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1964. 75p. Repr. 1986. Page: 64.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973 from FamilySearch, 2014. Available online (both sites require fee based membership) at:

   1. ) AmericanAncestors.org Online database; New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014 or at
   2. ) Ancestry Record 9852 #18142735 England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973:

5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} Stratton, Eugene A.; The Possible Origin of Samuel Stratton of Watertown, Mass. article published in the The American Genealogist, (TAG) {Quarterly Journal New England Historic Genealogical Society, TAG Volume 65, 1990, page 202.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Beeby, James; Abridged Transcription of the Will of James Bebye of Great Addington, England, Book J, pg. 56, died 1631.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Henry, Alan; The Beebe Family in Northamptonshire; this white paper was first published at a now defunct website GENUKI: The Beebe Family in Northamptonshire. (Link via Wayback Machine at Archive.org) The Alan Henry research files on the Beebe family have been donated to the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library at Ft. Wayne, Indiana .
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Wheeler, Raymond David, The American Genealogist, Vol 68, New Haven Connnecticut, Volume 68, Number 1, January 1993. TAG Vol. 68(1993):84-86], citing Bedsford. Rec. Off. ABP/W 1627/195 (original will); FHL film #88,023. (AmericanAncestors.org online database. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 Link by $ubscription.) Wheeler's article is entitled, The Father of Samuel Stratton of Watertown, Massachusetts.
9. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 24 March 2020), memorial page for Alice Beebe Stratton (1594–5 Oct 1656), Find A Grave: Memorial #135904242 citing Old Burying Place, Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by Our Family History (contributor 47719401) .
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Beebie, Alexander; The Will of Alexander Beebie of Great Addington, Northampton Wills, Book N, pg. 29, died 1622. The transcription of the will is from the files of Steve Walker of Desford, England and published on the web site of Les Sullivan at The Beebe Family History Site. The transcription of the will of Alexander Beebie has been reproduced in Wikitree by permission of Les Sullivan (29 Feb 2020).
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Stratton, Harriet Russell; A Book of Strattons; Being a Collection of Stratton Records from England and Scotland, and a Genealogical History of the Early Colonial Strattons in America, with Five Generations of their Descendants, Higginson Book Co., 10 Colonial Road, Salem MA 01970. 1The Grafton Press, Genealogical Publishers, New York, 1908. Public Domain.
12. ↑ Cutter, William Richard, New England Families, genealogical and memorial : a record of the achievements of her people in the making of commonwealths and the founding of a nation, Vol. IV;, New York, Lewis Historical Publishing, Co., 1914, Public Domain.
13. ↑ Sanborn, Melinde Lutz; Second Supplement to Torrey's New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA; Genealogical Publishing Co., Copyright,1995. Available at:

    1. ) Ancestry.com Image; data access fee required. Ancestry.com Operations Inc, Provo, UT, USA, 2012.
    2. ) Print edition. This manuscript is still in print and may be available at Amazon.com or Abebooks.com or other rare booksellers.

Other Sources

• Stratton family connections to Puddington (now called Podington) Bedfordshire, England:
  • Second Supplement To Torrey's New England Marriages Prior to 1700: Alice Stratton was married to Samuel Stratton in about 1624 probably near Puddington, Bedford {England}. Alice Stratton died between 1649 and 1657.
  • "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NY4L-V87 : 24 March 2020), Samuel Stratton, son of Samueli Stratton, was baptized on 10 Feb 1625 at Puddington, Bedford, England.
  • "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JS5C-LLB : 24 March 2020), Richardus Stratton, 1627. Richardus Stratton, son of Samuelis Stratton was baptized on 18 Nov 1627 at Puddington, Bedford, England
  • Bedford parish Records: Jos son of Samuel, Carlton Bedfordshire England Baptisms, August 23, 1629
  • Bedfordshire parish registers; page B4: Jn son of Sam Straton Baptized at Carlton, Bedford, England on October 14, 1632.
  • Ancestry Record 9852 #18142735 England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973: Data Extract:
    • England, Select Marriages; John Beebe married Alice Stratton at Pudington, Bedford, England on 11 Oct 1623. Text only no image. {Alice Beebe's Brother John married her husband's (Samuel Stratton) sister at Pudington}

• Early New England Families, 1641-1700: (Original Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2013. (By Alicia Crane Williams, Lead Genealogist.) "Early New England Families Study Project, Samuel Stratton (ca. 1592-1672) V.1 (2020). This six page selection provides a very recent compilation of records and publications relevant to Samuel Stratton of Watertown, Mass.

Web based Genealogies

• Geni.com profile for Samuel Stratton, husband of Alice (Beeby) Stratton.
• Geni.com profile for Alice (Beeby) Stratton.
• FamilySearch profile for Alice (Beebe) Stratton.
• Ancestry Family Trees (cites no sources)