Mercy (Unknown) Marshfield (abt. 1605 - 1654)

Born about 1605 in England

Wife of Thomas Marshfield — married 1632 in England

Descendants

Died 30 Sep 1654 at about age 49 in Springfield, Massachusetts Bay.

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Mercy (Unknown) Marshfield migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Mercy (Unknown) Marshfield was accused of witchcraft in New England

Mercy (Unknown) Marshfield^[1]was born about 1605 in England. She and her husband, Thomas Marshfield, were married about 1626^[2] and she may have originated Exeter, co. Devon since she and her husband had a daughter, Sarah, baptized at St. Mary Arches, Exeter on August 25, 1633 and that is where the family was living just prior to their immigration to New England.^[3]The first New England records of her husband were found at Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1635 where he was granted 12 acres of planting ground on Squantum Neck.^[1]

Children^[3]

1. daughter^[3]named Mercy was married to John Dumbleton by May 1649.^[1]
2. Samuel was born about 1625 - 28 and died at Springfield, Massachusetts on May 8, 1692. He married February 13, 1651 to Hester Wright, daughter of Deacon Samuel and Margaret Wright of Springfield. Hester died April 3, 1664. Samuel married (2nd) on December 28, 1661 to Catherine (Chapin) (Bliss) Gilbert. Catherine was baptized at Berry Pomeroy, co. Devon in 1626; daughter of Deacon Samuel and Cicely (Penny) Chapin. She died February 4, 1712.
3. Sarah was baptized at St. Mary Arches, Exeter, co Devon on August 25, 1633. She died in Springfield on March 9, 1709. Married to Thomas Miller at Springfield on October 12, 1649 - he was killed by the Indians at the burning of Springfield on October 5, 1675. She married (2nd) to Edward (or Edmund) Foster who was possibly the Edward Foster who was baptized at Chipping Barnet, co. Hertford, England, on June 22, 1637; son of Edward and Dionis Foster. He died February 22, 1719/20. Edward's 1st wife was Hester Bliss who was born about 1640 and died at Springfield on June 12, 1683; daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Hullings) Bliss. Edward Foster testified that he came from "Barnett" in England on September 9, 1650.
4. Priscilla died at Windsor, Connecticut on October 20, 1639.

By May 15, 1637 the family was living at Windsor, Connecticut where he had a land grant but sold part of it in 1642 to Thomas Newell probably because of serious financial problems. On October 14, 1642 the court "took into custody all of Thomas Marshfield's estate, goods and chattels to pay his debts," afterwhich he may have returned to England but it is far likely that he died for his wife was herafter known as "Widow Marshfield" when by 1649 she had moved to Springfield, Massachusetts.^[1]Her husband had probably died shortly after his last appearance in the records of Windsor in 1642.^[3] A grant for a homelot in Springfield has not been found, indicating she may have moved to Springfield to join her married daugher whose husband had received a homelot grant.^[1]

At court in Springfield in 1649 she, Widow Marshfield, was accused of witchcraft by Goodwife Parsons wife of Hugh Parsons. The accusation was that that Widow Marshfield had caused one of the Parson's children and one cow to die. It came out in testimony that this Widow Maarshfield was the same as wife of Thomas Marshfield who had previously lived in Windsor, Connecticut. At the time of these court proceedings, Widow Marshfield had three children, one of which was married and had a child. ^[3][1]

Widow Marshfield brought the accusation to court to protect her good name and on May 30, 1649 the court ruled in her favor. Goodwife Parsons was order to pay L3 to the widow Marshfield or else be whipped twenty lashes. She payed the fine rather than the whipping.^[1]

In a search for the name of widow Marshfield's son-in-law, the only man who seems likely to be him is John Dumbleton, whose wife Mercy had not previously been identified. Richardson in "Thomas Marshfield's Wife Mercy; Did Their Daughter Mercy Marry John Dumbleton?" found there were no other candidates except him who lived in the small town of Springfield and fit the profile he was looking for; all other men of that age were already accounted for. Since the Springfield vital records show no record of the daughter's marriage nor the birth of their child, the timeline for the events seem to be:

1. The eldest daughter, named Mercy, married her husband while still in Windsor.
2. The couple had their first born child in Springfield before the move to Windsor.
3. They had their 2nd child named John, born at Springfield on January 2, 1650/1.^[1]

Naming of the additional children of John and Mercy (Marshfield) Dumbleton is significant. There was a 2nd daughter by the name of Mercy; two sons named Samuel after Mercy Dumbleton's brother; a third daughter named Sarah (for Mercy Dumbleton's only sister Sarah (Marshfield). Sarah, Thomas and Mercy Marshfield's other daughter, as well as Samuel their son, used similar naming patterns.^[1]

The widow of Thomas Marshfield, Mercy Marshfield, died and was buried at Springfield on September 30, 1654.^[1]Her given name appears in her death record according to the research of Douglas RICHARDSON in his article at The American Genealogist where he cites Volume 2, pages 450, 451 of Thomas B. Warren's transcript "Springfield Families."^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10} The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .) "Thomas Maarshfield's Wife Mercy; Did Their Daughter Mercy Marry John Dumbleton?" Douglas Richardson. Vol. 67 (1992) pp. 11 - 14.subscribers$
2. ↑ Great Migration 1634-1635, M-P. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume V, M-P, p. 48 - 54; by Robert Charles Anderson. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2007. Featured name Thomas Marshfield.subscription site
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .) "The English Origin of Thomas Marshfield of Dorchester, Mass., and Windsor, Conn.; New Light on His Wife and Children." Douglas Richardson. Vol. 63 (1988) pp. 161 - 163.subscribers$

See Also:

• The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .) "A Further Note on Thomas Marshfield of Windsor, Connecticut" By Robert Charles Anderson. Vol. 74, p.225.subscription site