Dorothy (Smith) Eaton (abt. 1572 - aft. 1603)

Born about 1572 in England

Wife of John Eaton — married 14 Oct 1594 in Bristol, Gloucestershire

Descendants

Died after 1603 after about age 31 in England

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Biography

Dorothy Smith, wife of John Eaton of Bristol, has been identified as the mother of Mayflower passenger Francis Eaton.^[1] She married John Eaton in 1594 and had five known children by him. Other than the marriage record and the baptisms of their children, nothing further is known of them.

Birth

Born: About 1572, presumably in Bristol, England.

The date is a rough estimate based on her marriage in 1594. The place is presumed as this is where he was married and had children.

Marriage and Children

Married: John Eaton on 14 October 1594 at St Thomas parish in Bristol, England.^[1]

Children: of John Eaton and Dorothy Smith:^[1]

All records found at St. Thomas parish in Bristol, co. Bristol, England.

1. John Eaton. Baptized 26 July 1595 at St Thomas parish. He was buried 29 July 1595.
2. Francis Eaton. Baptized 11 September 1596 at St Thomas parish. He was the Mayflower passenger. He married three times. He died in 1633 in Plymouth Colony.
3. Jane Eaton. Baptized 20 January 1598/9 at St Thomas parish. She was buried 6 March 1603/4.
4. Samuel Eaton. Baptized 8 November 1600 at St Thomas parish. He was buried 27 March 1603/4.
5. Welthian Eaton. Born say 1602. She was buried 20 March 1603/4 at St Thomas parish.

Death

Died: After 1602.

There are no records of John Eaton or his wife in St. Thomas parish after the birth of their children. No burial records or wills have been found of him or his wife.

The will of Christopher Cary in 1615 mentions "house carpenter" Francis Eaton holding a lease in the parish of St. Philip's, Bristol.^[2] Neil D. Thompson has identified this Francis Eaton as being the same as the Mayflower passenger. It is possible that John Eaton and his wife moved from St. Thomas parish to St. Philip's parish following the tragedy that claimed the lives of four of their five children in 1604. There is a gap in the St. Philip's parish records from 1611 to 1621 and it is very possible that John and Dorothy Eaton died there in this time.^[1]

Sources

Footnotes and citations:

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Thompson, Neil D., "The Origin and Parentage of Francis Eaton of the Mayflower. in The American Genealogist. (July/October, 1997): pages 301-304.
2. ↑ Waters, Henry F. '"Genealogical Gleanings in England: Cary Family" in New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 49 no. 3 (July 1895): pages 369-404, at 397-398. Google Books.Link.

Source list:

• Thompson, Neil D., "The Origin and Parentage of Francis Eaton of the Mayflower. in The American Genealogist. (July/October, 1972): pages 301-304. AmericanAncestors.org Link