Margaret (Todd) Low
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Margaret (Todd) Low (bef. 1597 - abt. 1646)

Margaret Low formerly Todd aka Lowe
Born before in Boxford, Suffolk, Englandmap
Ancestors ancestors
Daughter of and
Sister of , and
Wife of — married 22 Jun 1630 in Polstead, Suffolk, Englandmap
Descendants descendants
Mother of , , and
Died about after about age 48 in Ipswich, Essex, Province of Massachusetts Bay, New Englandmap [uncertain]
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Profile last modified | Created 21 Jun 2011
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The Puritan Great Migration.
Margaret (Todd) Low migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640).
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Contents

Biography

Uncertain Birth

Most of the information currently known about Margaret Todd seems to be based on suppositions or educated guesses. And although some of it may be quite compelling it seems important to stress that most of the information is based on conjectures. Several girls by the name of Margaret Todd were born in England between 1595 and 1610, most of them up north in counties such as Yorkshire, Cumbria, Durham and Cumberland.[1][2][3] The birth date, place and parentage currently being used on this profile are based on a very compelling marriage record for Margaret and Thomas Lowe for the parish of St. Mary in Polstead, [4] Suffolk, England. A birth record for a Margaret Todd has been found in the parish St. Mary in Boxford, also in Suffolk, England, which is less than four miles from Polstead.[4] [5] Given the custom of marriages taking place at the bride's parish the Boxford birth record for Margaret is quite plausible. Of course, most of the educated guesses are based on geographical location and it all makes sense. Except that the records are not all located in the same parish, but in three different villages in the same area: Polstead, Boxford and Groton.[4] All three villages are within three to four miles of each other and are located between Colchester, Essex, and Ipswich, Suffolk, in England.

William Gilman Low explored these possibilities in his A Genealogical Quest no. 2, a short essay on the possible origins of Thomas Lowe and Margaret Todd.[4]Walter Goodwin Davis in the Ancestry of Phebe Tilton also stressed that these relationships and dates are "probabilities." Things fit together nicely but are not certain.[6]

A Margaret Todd was bapt. 23 Nov 1597 in Boxford, Suffolk, England, daughter of Ananias and Bridgett Todd.[7][8][9]

Life in England

According to Edward Steele, Margaret's parents were married on 12 October 1581 in Boxford, Suffolk, England.[10] Still according to Steele, her father, Ananias Todd, died in 1611 and at the time lived in Polstead Hall, in Polstead, Suffolk, England. He left houses and land to Margaret's brothers Thomas and John and also £60 to daughters Margaret and Sarah, to be received either at marriage or their coming of age.[11][12] Her mother, Bridget Thompson, was not mentioned in the will which usually implies that she was already deceased by then. A Brigit, wife of Annanyas Tod, was buried in Stoke by Nayland, Suffolk, England, on 15 April 1608.[13] Therefore with her father's death Margaret became an orphan when she was 14 years old. Steele believes it's possible she lived with a brother in either Boxford or Polstead after that.[11] Polstead Hall, where Margaret probably lived at least until she was fourteen, is still standing.

Picture of Polstead Hall from Wiki Commons

Marriage

According to several authors, a Thomas Lowe married a Margaret Tod on 22 June 1630 at St. Mary's Parish in Polstead, Suffolk, England.[4][11] A marriage entry transcribed on FreeReg.com also confirms the record. [14] Torrey listed the marriage, although he seemed unsure about Margaret's dates of birth and death. [15][6]

Children

Margaret and Thomas had at least four children:

  1. Thomas bap. Groton 8 May 1631, Groton, Suffolk, England;[16] d. April 12, 1712, Massachusetts Bay Colony; m. Martha Boreman, July 4, 1660, Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony;[17] d. 8 Feb. 1697, Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony.[18]
  2. Margaret bap. 17 June 1632, Suffolk, England;[19] m. April 8 1657, Daniel Davison, Massachusetts Bay Colony;[20] d. July 8, 1668, Massachusetts Bay Colony.
  3. John bap. 2 Mar 1633/4, Boxford, Suffolk, England;[21] m. 1st December 10, 1661, Sarah Thorndike;[22] m. 2nd Dorcas UNKNOWN, bef. 1674, Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony;[15] d. 29 Nov 1695, Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony.[23]
  4. Sarah b. around 1637, maybe 1635, probably Suffolk, England or Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony; m. John Safford around 1661, Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony;[24] d. after 1708, Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Sarah's 1637 birth year is an estimate based on the age she declared in a deposition, alongside her father, in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony.[25] The deposition happened in 1660 and she declared having about 23 years of age then, which would imply her birth having happened around 1637. But if her parents travelled to New England with Reverend Nathaniel Rogers between June and November 1636, Sarah would have been born in New England. No records of her birth/baptism in the Massachusetts Bay Colony have been found to date. Unless she was mistaken about her own age, not unlikely at the time, and she was born either at the beginning of 1636 or before that, possibly 1635. There is a possible baptism record at St Mary's parish in Boxford, Sussex, England, where her brother John was also baptized, on 10 May 1635 for a Sara, daughter of Thomas Lee.[26] The surname Lee, instead of Low/Lowe could be a transcription error, apparently several were made when the records where copied from the original documents by a Mr. Beale.[4] That would certainly resolve the mystery of her birth/baptism date. It would make sense with her siblings baptism dates (1631, 1632, 1634, 1635). Sarah being born in 1635 would also have made possible for the Low (Lowe) family to arrive in the Colony with Rev. Rogers in 1636.

Possible Immigration and Death

Margaret does not appear to be mentioned in any colonial primary sources found to date, which is not unusual. If she was born, had children and married elsewhere she wouldn't appear in vital records, except for her death/burial record. Unfortunately, not even a record of her death has been found to date. And since she seems to have died before her husband, she was not mentioned in his will either. Furthermore, on the town records for Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony, her husband Thomas is never referred to as a widower, therefore it could be assumed that Margaret immigrated to the New World with her husband and children and passed away sometime before 1648, the year estimated for the marriage between Thomas and his second wife, Susan Stone.[15] Therefore, it seems plausible that Margaret would have immigrated with her husband and children and died in Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony, however no hard evidence of that has been found at this point.

The family has not been linked to any of the known lists of passengers yet. There is strong indication that the Lows (Lowes, Loes) would have immigrated with Reverend Nathaniel Rogers, from Suffolk, England: Thomas Low is granted land as part of Mr. Rogers company.[27] If this is the same family that hailed from Suffolk, they also come from the same area where Mr. Rogers used to preach in England. If they did come with Rev. Rogers, they would have embarked in England on June 1st 1636 and arrived on November 17 of that same year.[28] Anderson estimated that Thomas and family would have migrated around 1640.[29] This estimate is probably based on the fact that Thomas is mentioned for the first time on the town records in April 1641, when he was being granted 10 acres of land in Chebacco, next to the ten acres he already had. Therefore, even if that was the first time he was being mentioned, he had already obtained land, either purchased or granted, before 1641.[27]

It seems impossible at this point to be sure of exactly when the Lowes crossed the Atlantic. Based on what is currently known about them, it would seem that they immigrated between 1636 and 1640.


Research Notes

Most authors who mentioned Thomas Low and his immigration to New England, did not mention Margaret at all. Some authors mention only Thomas and their sons, some mention all four children and a few mention Susanna, Thomas' second wife. This is probably due to Margaret's apparent absence from colonial records.

Family Search Profile

Sources

  1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NB31-YQL : 20 September 2020), Margaret Todd, 1598.
  2. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J3XY-5BQ : 19 September 2020), Margaret Todd, 1604.
  3. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N522-4H3 : 19 September 2020), Margaret Todd, 1599.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Low, William Gilman. A Genealogical Quest. US?: Published by the author, 1908, p. 6-7
  5. ↑ England, Suffolk, Suffolk Archives - Bury St. Edmunds Branch. Boxford Parish Register Transcript, transcribed by C. Partridge, 1938. FHL Film # 007907749, image 50.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Davis, Walter Goodwin, The Ancestry of Phoebe Tilton 1775–1847, Wife of Capt. Abel Lunt of Newburyport, Mass. Portland, Me.: Athoensen Press, 1947, p. 173
  7. ↑ Boxford Parish Register Transcript, transcribed by C. Partridge, 1938. FHL Film # 007907749, image 50. Viewable at Family History Centers. See image attached to this profile.
  8. ↑ Warner, Frederick Chester, “The Ancestry of Samuel, Freda and John Warner,” typescript, 5 vols. Boston, 1949, 1955 Vol 3. 423 borrow at Archive.
  9. ↑ Lowe, Low(e) Family History, 1991
  10. ↑ Steele, Edward. Descendants of Thomas Low, the Immigrant to Ipswich, Massachusetts, for Three Generations. The New England Historical & Genealogical Register. V. 174, #695. Boston, MA: NEGHS,Summer 2020. p. 226.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Steele, Edward. Descendants of Thomas Low, the Immigrant to Ipswich, Massachusetts, for Three Generations. The New England Historical & Genealogical Register. V. 174, #695. Boston, MA: NEGHS,Summer 2020. p. 226.
  12. ↑ England, Richmond, The National Archives, Will of Ananias Todd of Polstead, Suffolk, 16 Dec 1611, PROB 11/118/524.
  13. ↑ https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/62e16444f493fd6ecd3729c7/brigit-tod-burial-suffolk-stoke-by-nayland-1608-04-15?locale=en
  14. ↑ https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/61913442f493fd6338a27456/margaret-tod-thomas-lowe-marriage-suffolk-polstead-1630-06-22?locale=en
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Torrey, Clarence Almon. New England marriages prior to 1700. Baltimore: Genalogical Publishing Co., 1985, 2004, p. 477. Ancestry Sharing Link
  16. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J77R-ZHS : 21 March 2020), Thomas, 1631.
  17. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29G-GQW9 : 19 May 2022), Thomas Low and Martha Borman, 04 Jul 1660; citing Marriage, Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009706.
  18. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1V-1P9L : 7 May 2022), Thomas Low in entry for Thomas Low, 8 Feb 1697; citing Death, , Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009714.
  19. ↑ Baptism: "FreeReg UK Parish Register database"
    Suffolk; Boxford; St Mary; Parish Register; File line number: 354
    FreeReg Transcription (accessed 12 November 2022)
    Margarite Lowe baptism on 17 Jun 1632, daughter of John Lowe & Margarite, in Boxford, Suffolk, England.
  20. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29G-G7YX : 19 May 2022), Daniell Davison and Margrett Low, 08 Apr 1657; citing Marriage, Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009706.
  21. ↑ Baptism: "FreeReg UK Parish Register database"
    Suffolk; Boxford; St Mary; Parish Register; File line number: 392
    FreeReg Transcription (accessed 12 November 2022)
    John Lowe baptism on 2 Mar 1633/4, son of Thomas Lowe & Margarite, in Boxford, Suffolk, England.
  22. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29G-GW67 : 19 May 2022), John Low and Sarah Thorndick, 10 Dec 1661; citing Marriage, Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009706.
  23. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1K-S337 : 7 May 2022), John ?On Low, 29 Nov 1695; citing Death, , Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009714.
  24. ↑ Torrey, Clarence Almon. New England marriages prior to 1700. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1985, 2004, p. 646 Ancestry Sharing Link
  25. ↑ Dow, George Francis. Records and files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts. vol.2. Salem, Mass: Essex Institute, 1912. p. 200.
  26. ↑ Baptism: "FreeReg UK Parish Register database"
    Suffolk; Boxford; St Mary; Parish Register; File line number: 423
    FreeReg Transcription (accessed 12 November 2022)
    Sara Lee baptism on 10 May 1635, daughter of Thomas Lee, in Boxford, Suffolk, England.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Schofield, George A. The ancient records of the town of Ipswich: vol. 1- from 1634 to 1650. Ipswich, Mass: Chronicle Motor Press, 1899, p. 23.
  28. ↑ Calamy, E., Palmer, S. (180203). The nonconformist's memorial: being an account of the lives, sufferings, and printed works, of the two thousand ministers ejected from the Church of England, chiefly by the Act of uniformity, Aug. 24, 1666. London: Printed by J. Cundee for Button and son, and T. Hurst, 1802-3, [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3418520&view=1up&seq=282&skin=2021&q1=rogers p. 259-261.
  29. ↑ Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Directory. Immigrants to New England, 1620-1640. A Concise Compendium. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015.) p. 213

See also:

  • Crane, Ellery Bicknell. Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Worcester county, Massachusetts, with a history of Worcester society of antiquity. New York: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1907, p. 224-5.
  • Crowell, Robert; Choate, David & Crowell, Edward P. History of the town of Essex : from 1634 to 1868. Springfield, MA: Bowles & Co., 1868, p. 45.
  • Felt, Joseph B. History of Ipswich, Essex, and Hamilton. Cambridge, MA.: C. Folsom, 1834, p. 10-12.
  • Pope, Charles Henry. The pioneers of Massachusetts, a descriptive list, drawn from records of the colonies, towns and churches and other contemporaneous documents. Boston: published by author,1900, p. 193.
  • The probate records of Essex County, Massachusetts. Vol. III, 1675-1681. Salem, Mass., The Essex Institute, 1916, p. 175-6.
  • Savage, James. A genealogical dictionary of the first settlers of New England showing three generations of those who came before May, 1692, on the basis of Farmer's Register. Vol. 3. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1860-2, p. 125.
  • Warner-Harrington & Warner, Frederick Chester, “The Ancestry of Samuel, Freda and John Warner,” typescript, 5 vols. Boston, 1949, 1955, p. 423.




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Baptism of Margaret Todd
Baptism of Margaret Todd


Comments: 3

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Chris Hoyt
Unknown-8864 and Todd-895 do not represent the same person because: This Susanna Unknown- 8864 appears to be his second wife and would not be the same person as his first wife Margaret Todd????????

LOW, Thomas (1605-1677) & 1st/wf Margaret TODD: Polstead, Eng: 22 June 1630: Ipswich.(p. 477)

LOW, Thomas (1605-1677) & 2nd/wf Susanna (Stone) (Cutting) KIMBALL (? 1598- 1684?) wf Henry; after 1648: Ipswich] (p. 477)

posted by Chris Hoyt
Chris Hoyt
Todd-2749 and Todd-895 are not ready to be merged because: There is a discrepancy on this record as to the two husbands - Thomas Low, son of John vs Thomas Low son of Giles. This needs to be addressed, and someone who entered the data and can provide sources of parentage.
posted by Chris Hoyt
Chris Hoyt
Todd-2749 and Todd-895 are not ready to be merged because: I just started working on this family line in the last few days - gathering sources and references. The suggested merge has no information that confirms any of the data. I haven't been able to locate any proof of parentage listed yet, as there is no source ref/bio. I will keep looking, but her the husband Thomas has different parents which can't be confirmed one way or another as of yet.

Chris

posted by Chris Hoyt

Rejected matches › Margaret Low (abt.1799-) › Margaret Kirk Low (1833-) › Margaret Low (1783-) › Margaret (Low) Pratt (abt.1668-) › Susan (Stone) Lowe (bef.1597-1684) › Margaret (Low) Larkum (1669-1756)

Featured German connections: Margaret is 18 degrees from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 20 degrees from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 23 degrees from Lucas Cranach, 16 degrees from Stefanie Graf, 19 degrees from Wilhelm Grimm, 21 degrees from Fanny Hensel, 25 degrees from Theodor Heuss, 15 degrees from Alexander Mack, 31 degrees from Carl Miele, 15 degrees from Nathan Rothschild, 21 degrees from Hermann Friedrich Albert von Ihering and 18 degrees from Ferdinand von Zeppelin on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.

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