William Soule (1671 - bef. 1723)

Born 28 Aug 1671 in Dartmouth, Plymouth Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Hannah (Eaton) Soule — married about 1691 in Dartmouth, Bristol, Massachusetts Bay [uncertain]

Descendants

Died before 25 Apr 1723 before age 51 in Dartmouth, Bristol, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Mayflower Project WikiTree [send private message] and Linda Houyouse [send private message]

William Soule was related to a passenger on the Mayflower. Join: Mayflower Project Discuss: mayflower

Biography

William was a Friend (Quaker)

William, son of George Jr and Deborah, was born in Dartmouth about 1669 (before 1671)^[1]

He married about 1691, probably in Dartmouth, Hannah Eaton, who died in Dartmouth between 20 October 1733 (deed) - 1 July 1734 (deed).^[1] William was a weaver.^[1]

William was disowned by the Dartmouth monthly meeting on 23d 2m 1722 [23 Apr 1722] for underhandedly acquiring part of the estate of the deceased Josiah Allen and refusing to make reparations of £30.^[2] The condemnation is as follows:^[2]

Whereas William Soule of Dartmouth in the County of Bristol in New England who for many years past hath professed himself to be one of the people called Quakers and hath been in Some measure esteemed in unity with them yet by giving way to much of a craving mind after the things of this world did of Late in a hidden and undiscovered way purchase part of the estate of Josiah Allen deceased to ye damage of those to whom it did belong and with whom he so bargained and did take the Sum of thirty pounds to release Said bargain for all which the judgments of the Quarterly meeting and yearly meetings: to which Said matters have ben referred have gone against Said William Soule judging that he ought publickly to Condemn his said proceedings and to return the said Sum of thirty pounds to the persons from whom he had received the Same all which the Said William Soule doth refuse to perform although this meeting hath waited Long and endeavored from time to time to persuade him thereto we do therefore condemn the said proceedings of the said Wm Soule with his obstinate refusal to comply with the judgments of said meetings and do deny him to be one of us the people called Quakers yet desiring Sincerely that if it be the will of God he may come to a Sense of his outgoing and by making amends to those he has wronged and a circumspect walking before God find mercy with him and Come into unity with his people.
Given forth and Signed at our monthly meeting held in Dartmouth the 23rd day of ye 2d month 1722. Judah Smith.

Thomas Taber Junr John Tucker William Wood

John Lapham Stephen Wilcox Henry Tucker

Nathaniel Howland Joseph Russell Junr. William Wood Junr.

He died in Dartmouth, between 8 Sept 1722 (a deed) and 25 April 1723 (estate inventory).^[1]

WILLIAM SOULE was born around 1671 in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. He was the son of George Soule (Jr.). He married Hannah (believed to be Eaton daughter of Benjamin Eaton and Sarah Hoskins) (~1669-1729), around 1691. They had 11 children: William; Hannah (1694-1738); George; Benjamin; Mary; Joseph; Sarah; Alice; Samuel; Jonathan; and Deborah. He was a weaver by trade. He was appointed as the assessor for Dartmouth in 1695. From 1710 to 1715 he received numerous land grants in Dartmouth or the surrounding areas and from 1718 to his death he continued to purchase land from his neighbors. He amassed huge areas of land during this time, totaling approximately 600 acres, which was located near Acooxet, Horseneck, and near the local Quaker Meeting House. He made his will in September 1722, and died between that date and April, 1723 (when the Will was probated) in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. The probate records noted that one of his smaller parcels ran a sawmill on the land. Of his estate, his daughter Hannah and Joseph Holloway would receive approximately 1/3 of the land.

Children

Children born in Dartmouth^[1][3]:

1. William born 28 Aug 1692
2. Hannah born 1 June 1694
3. George born 5 Oct. 1695
4. Benjamin born 14 May 1698
5. Mary born 23 Jan. 1698/9 [sic]
6. Joseph born 8 Nov 1701
7. Sarah born 8 Nov 1703
8. Ealce/Alice born 15 Feb 1705/6
9. Samuel born 26 June 1708
10. Jonathan born 15 Dec 1710
11. Deborah born 1 Jan 1711/2

The Dartmouth monthly meeting register of births, marriages and deaths gives Mary's birth as 23d 11m 1699 [23 Jan 1700].^[4]

Research Notes

NOTE, per Mayflower Society William Soule's wife is only known to be Hannah (with her maiden name and therefore parents unknown). They don't acknowledge Hannah Brewster as his spouse. Hannah Brewster often shows up as his wife though, in part because several places mention a book by GT Ridlon on the Soule Family:

The theory that William's wife was Hannah Brewster was (first?) proposed in a journal query by a researcher named Fish about 1900; he juxtaposed the names William Soule and Hannah Brewster in the same query, but did not specifically state a marriage. His 'evidence' was the usage of the first name Jonathan in the Brewster family. This Soule-Brewster connection was repeated ca 1925 in Ridlon's genealogy of the Soule family, which is sometimes and carefully used as a reference in the Soule pink book series. (Over time the General Society of Mayflower Descendants has categorically rejected Ridlon as a source, including Hannah Brewster as William Soule's wife). [Why? That's easy: one part had acceptable evidence and the other part didn't. KP]

The two Ridlon volumes (published 1926), plus a index volume printed in 1971 are available on microfilm through the Family History Library in Salt Lake City: [1] They might be able to loan them out to local family history libraries. Warning from researcher Louise Walsh Throop: only accept as valid in Ridlon's two volumes the family data which appears to have been provided [by mail?] to Ridlon. As the second volume was thrown together shortly before Ridlon's death, it has multiple errors of all types, including guesses at lineages.

The Ridlon work itself is/was $450.00 on Amazon, however there is a $20.00 CD-Rom also available through Amazon. (Feb 20, 2014) The Soule pink books are available from the website of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. The two Eaton-Soule marriages are included in the work describing the descendants of Francis Eaton, written and published by Louise Walsh Throop in 2023, along with a series of Appendices which describe the onomastic reasoning for accepting the two Eaton-Soule marriages, as well as the circumstances in the 1690s which hindered any recording of those marriages [see: Louise Walsh Throop, "Francis Eaton of the Mayflower (1596-1633) who landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts in December 1620. Generations 1-7." (Sunol CA, see Lulu.com, 2023) pp. 17-19.].

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Louise Walsh Throop, "George Soule of the Mayflower and his Descendants for Four Generations. Mayflower Families in Progress" Plymouth, Massachusetts: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2015; see also: Louise Walsh Throop, "Francis Eaton of the Mayflower (1596-1633) who landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts in December 1620. Generations 1-7." (Sunol CA, see Lulu.com, 2023) pp. 17-19.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Monthly meeting records, Men's Minutes 1699 – 1727, Society of Friends, Dartmouth Monthly Meeting (Society of Friends : Dartmouth, N.Y.), p 225.
3. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-8979-H6VW : 20 May 2014), Bristol > Dartmouth > Births, marriages, deaths 1667-1788 > image 11 of 201; citing Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston.
4. ↑ Monthly meeting records, Births - Marriages - Deaths 1699 - 1880, Society of Friends, Dartmouth Monthly Meeting (Society of Friends : Dartmouth, Mass.), p 5.

1. 24 p. 29 2015 pink book

• Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991, Pg. 335
• Bristol County, Massachusetts, Probate Records, Vol. 4, Pg. 180
• Ridlon, A contribution to the history …of the families named … Soule (1926) Pg. 181-82
• Roser, Mayflower Deeds and Probates (1994) Pg. 404, 406
• Louise Walsh Throop, "Francis Eaton of the Mayflower (1596-1633) who landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts in December 1620. Generations 1-7." (Sunol CA, see Lulu.com, 2023) pp. 17-19.