Welthian Richards

Profile manager: David Loring [send private message]

Welthea/Welthian/Weathean/Wealthean Richards

Why she was not daughter of Thomas Loring & Jane Newton

There is definitely evidence to suggest that this person was indeed an historical figure, in other words that she did exist. There is however very little evidence or her origins and marriage.

A common theme is that she was a child of Thomas Loring and Jane Newton however there is no evidence at all for this suggestion and it is extremelty unlikely, if not impossible. A entry for her in Our Royal Titled Noble and Commoner Ancestors reads as follows:

Weathean Loring F, #58664, b. circa 1595, d. 3 July 1679 Father: Thomas Loring b. c 1574, d. 4 Apr 1661, Mother: Jane Newton b. 21 Apr 1571, d. 25 Aug 1672

Weathean Loring was born circa 1595 at of Dorchester, Dorsetshire, England. She married Thomas Richards, son of Thomas Richards, circa 1614 at of Somersetshire, England. Weathean Loring died on 3 July 1679 at Boston, Suffolk, MA.

Family: Thomas Richards b. 15 Apr 1596, d. 28 Jan 1651

Children:

Mary Richards b. 16 Nov 1620, d. 24 Jun 1659

Alice Richards b. 16 Jun 1627, d. 12 Dec 1671

Citations: [S61] Unknown author, Family Group Sheets, Family History Archives, SLC.

First I have done a search on Family Search for all lorings and variations of the name between the years 1550 and 1620 in England. This produces 629 results some of which are duplicates and none of which are Thomas, Jane or Welthian. The bulk of these records are ODM records. Also on Family Search are entries for Welthian as shown on the Geni entry for her Geni.

Wealthean Richards (born Loring) in FamilySearch Family Tree

Welthian Loring in WikiTree

Mrs. Welthian [perhaps Loring Loring Richards] in FamilySearch Family Tree

Mrs. Welthian [perhaps Loring Richards] in FamilySearch Family Tree

Mrs. Welthian [perhaps Loring Richards] in FamilySearch Family Tree

Mrs. Welthian [perhaps Loring Richards] in FamilySearch Family Tree

Welthian Richards (born Loring) in FamilySearch Family Tree

view all 28

These however are all in Family Trees and are not reliable. If we take a typical entry this shows her born in 1602, but there is a problem here on two fronts if she was the child of Thomas Loring and Jane Newton. This does not agree with the Loring genealogy where it is shown that Thomas would have been born around 1600 and Jane around 1603 and their first child was born in March 1624/5 so they would have ben married in say 1623. Thomas died in 1661 and Jane in 1679 both dates giving them reasonable life spans for the time. The entry in Our Royal Titled Noble and Commoner Ancestors which appears to be verbatim form Family Search as it gives a citation of "Unknown author, Family Group Sheets, Family History Archives, shows different date from the record being examined.

This record and many others have Thomas born around 1574/5 and Jane between 1571 and 1575. This puts Thomas at 87 on death and Jane at 97 using 1575 as the birth date. The dates of death of these two individuals are documented and proven. It is not impossible that they lived to these ages but at the time it would be unusual.

If we look at the 338 entries for her in Family Search Family Trees we find a plethora of birth dates and places ranging form 1597 to 1606 and places from Devonshire, Somerset, Dorset and America. If we conside for a moment that Thomas and Jane were her parents and we take the later date of 1606 then on the assumption that she was the first child her parents would have been married around 1604 or 1605. This means that Benjamin Loring, the youngest son of Thomas and Jane, born in 1644, was born to his mother at the age of 69 if we take Janes date of birth at 1575. Clearly we are getting into the realms of fairy tales here.

An entry from Find A Grave, which has no picture of the gravestone and is therefore nothing more that fiction as it is unsourced states:

Wealthian Loring Richards

Birth: 1594 Axminster, Devon, England

Death: Jul. 3, 1679 Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA

Wealthian was born about 1599 to Thomas Loring of Axminster, Devon County, England and Jane Newton Loring of Axminster, Devon County, England.

Wealthian married Thomas R. Richards on 1622 in Pitminster, Somerset County, England.

Family links:

Spouse:

Thomas R. Richards (1596 - 1649)*

Children:

Anna Richards*

Thomas Richards (1618 - 1650)*

Samuel Richards (1619 - ____)*

Joseph Richards (1621 - ____)*

John Richards (1625 - 1694)*

Hannah Richards (1630 - 1651)*

Robert Richards (1631 - ____)*

Mary Richards (1632 - 1659)*

James Richards (1632 - 1680)*

Samuel Richards (1633 - ____)*

Joseph Richards (1635 - 1651)*

Burial: Unknown

From: Find A Grave #79567781 This is merged into Find A Grave #35354311

These entries continue:

Thomas Richards married, by 1620, Welthian _____. Perhaps she was sister to Thomas Loring, whom Thomas called "brother" in his will. Came from Pitminster, Somersetshire to Massachusetts Bay with family in 1633. First settled in Dorchester; moved to Weymouth in 1639. She died between 3 July 1679 (date of will) and 4 November 1679 (probate of will).

They had nine children (i-vi baptized Pitminster, Somersetshire): Mary Hinckley, John, Ann Hunt, Alice Bradford, Hannah, James, Samuel, Joseph, & Benjamin.

Note the blank for the name and Perhaps she was the sister.....

According to Find A Grave contributor Anne1950, Welthean (Welthian) Loring is listed as Thomas Richards' wife in "History of Weymouth, Mass., 14:589; and Geneal. Data of the Ancient & Honorable Artillery Co. of Mass., 1638-1774, p. 40.

The entry states: Burial: Unknown. One has to wonder how you can have an entry in Find A Grave that the whereabouts of the grave is unknown. Not Logical.

Also listed on Geni is an entry in The Genealogy of New England Page 80

Unfortunately on that page there is no entry for Welthian, Loring or Richards so as a citation it is worthless.

We are now getting into the historical person Welthian Richards

The pioneers of Massachusetts, a descriptive list, drawn from records of the colonies, towns and churches and other contemporaneous documents by Charles Pope From: The Pioneers Of Massachusetts by Charles Henry Pope. Published 1900. (Page 384)

RICHARD, RICHARDS, RICHES,

Mr. Thomas, one of the original colony of Dorchester, [Bl.] frm. May 18, 1630. Propr. Rem. about 1639 to Weymough. [L.] Owned a mill in com. with Henry Waltham; in his absence, his wife Welthia (Welthiann,) adjusted partnership matters before Gen. Court 28 (11) 1640. Selectman, 1643.

Will prob. 28 (11) 1650. Wife Welthian; sons John, James, Samuel Joseph and Benjamin; daus. Mary, Anne, Alice and Hannah. [Reg. VII, 232] The dau. Hannah d. at Boston 10 (9) 1651. The widow's will dated at Boston, 3 July, prob. 4 Nov. 1679, beq. to children John, James; to Thomas, Alice, Hannah, William, Mercy, John, Samuel, Melatiah, Mary and Sarah Bradford, children of William Bradford of Plymouth Colony and my daughter Alice, deceased; to Samuel, Thomas, Jr., Bathsheba and Mehetable Hinckley, Hannah Glover, Melatiah Crocker, Sarah Bacon and Mary Wiborne, ch. of Thomas Hinckley of Plym. Col. and my dau. Mary, dec.; to Ephraim and John, son of Ephraim Hunt and my late dau. Anne; to children of these granchildren; to the poor of Boston; to Harvard College; to Sarah Leverett, widow of our late honored governor; to each of the overseers of the will.

We now have an historical reference that establishes the person of Welthea / Welthian / Weathean / Wealthean Richards

Another historical reference. but not an official document so can only be counted as hearsay for the time being, can be found in New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial Volume 4 edited by William Richard Cutter, Published in 1913 on Page 1855

(II) Ephraim, son of Enoch Hunt, was born in England in 1610, and came to America with his father. He was buried February 24, 1687, and on his gravestone is the following inscription : "Here lyeth Buried ye Body of Ephraim Hunt aged about 77 years deceased ye 22d of February 1686-7." The inventory of his estate amounted to five hundred and two pounds, and included house and orchards, twenty-three acres in lower plantations, five acres salt marsh on back river, and fifty acres near Cedar Swamp. He married (first) Anna Richards, and (second) Ebbett Brimsmead. His first wife was daughter of Thomas and Welthean Richards, and her three sons inherited a large amount of property. His second wife was sister of William Brimsmead and administered on his estate. Her will was dated April 23, 1708, and in it she mentioned her son William, of Martha's Vineyard, her son Joseph with whom she remained for many years, and his two sons and three daughters, and also William, son of her son William. She died September 9, 1712, and her will was proved January 2, 1713. Children of first wife: John, born 1646; Thomas, 1648; Ephraim, mentioned below. Children of second wife: William, 1655; Enoch, 1658; Joseph, 1670.

In Genealogical and family history of the state of Connecticut by Cutter et al Published 1911 Vol 2 Welthian is mentioned as Welthea

(II) Ephraim, son of Enoch Hunt, was born in England, about 1610, and came to Rhode Island and later to Weymouth with his father.

He was a blacksmith by trade. He gave a letter of attorney, December 5, 1646, for the collection of property in Beaconsfield, Buckshire, England, formerly of John Hunt, of Winchmore Hill, in Agmondsham parish. :Perhaps this John Hunt was his grandfather. Ephraim settled in Weymouth, and married Anna, daughter of Thomas and Welthea Richards, of Ebbett Brinsmead, England.

Various other historical references all show her to have been a real person however not one single one of them name her as Loring positively and with a reference to an historical document. Most say she was probably a Loring.

This is not to say she was not a Loring. She may have been as there were several Loring families in the West Country of England. What is quite clear is that she was not the daughter of Deacon Thomas Loring and Jane Newton.