Nathaniel Packard Did Not Marry A Daughter Of John Kingman
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Nathaniel Packard Did Not Marry A Daughter Of John Kingman
 Dale_H_Cook
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Posted: 17 Feb 2009 7:03PM GMT |
Classification: Marriage
It has come to my attention that there is some confusion concerning the wife of Nathaniel Packard, son of immigrants Samuel and Elizabeth (___) Packard. This confusion stems from an erroneous speculation published more than a century and a half ago.
In 1840, in his "History of the Early Settlement of Bridgewater ...", Nahum Mitchell wrote of Nathaniel that he "m., probably, a D. of John Kingman." This speculation was later repeated as fact by a number of authors, including Bradford Kingman, "History of North Bridgewater" (1866) and "Descendants of Henry Kingman" (1921); and Theo Packard, "Genealogies of Samuel Packard of Bridgewater" (1871). It has also been reported as fact on countless sites online. Note that none of those sites can cite contemporary records to support that false assumption.
The 13-Mar-1690/91 settlement of the estate of John Kingman mentions, without naming them, three daughters [MD 30:184-186]. We know from other contemporary records that the three were:
1) Elizabeth, who married Thomas Mitchell 01-Jan-1695/96 at Bridgewater [MD 3:9; BridgewaterVR 2:222, 257].
2) Deliverance, who married Jacob Mitchell, brother of Thomas, that same day in a double ceremony with her sister.
3) Susanna, who married Chilton Latham 06-Dec-1699 at Bridgewater [MD 2:146; BridgewaterVR 2:224, 227].
Thus the three daughters of John Kingman who survived to adulthood are accounted for, and none of them married Nathaniel Packard.
Nathaniel married Lydia Smith, daughter of John Smith of Taunton by his first wife, Lydia Eliot. The proofs of this were published by Lucy Hall Greenlaw in a note entitled "Packard-Smith," (NEHGR, 59 [1905]:107-108). They are:
1) A 21-Jan-1695/96 receipt in the papers of Thomas Leonard, executor of the estate of John Smith of Taunton, signed by mark by Nathaniel at Taunton, for cooking implements due to Nathaniel's (unnamed) wife from Smith's estate.
2) A 09-Mar-1702 deed from John Smith of Taunton, son of John Smith, late of Taunton, to Nathaniel and Lydia Packard of Bridgewater, heirs to the estate of John Smith, "father of said Lydia," for a partial share in Taunton North Purchase which originally belonged to said John Smith, deceased [Bristol Co. Deeds, 4:142].
It should be noted that John Smith, Lydia's father, married as his second wife Jael Packard, Nathaniel's sister (and elder by about ten years).
Dale H. Cook, Member, NEHGS and MA Society of Mayflower Descendants;
Plymouth Co. MA Coordinator for the USGenWeb Project
Administrator of http://plymouthcolony.net
In 1840, in his "History of the Early Settlement of Bridgewater ...", Nahum Mitchell wrote of Nathaniel that he "m., probably, a D. of John Kingman." This speculation was later repeated as fact by a number of authors, including Bradford Kingman, "History of North Bridgewater" (1866) and "Descendants of Henry Kingman" (1921); and Theo Packard, "Genealogies of Samuel Packard of Bridgewater" (1871). It has also been reported as fact on countless sites online. Note that none of those sites can cite contemporary records to support that false assumption.
The 13-Mar-1690/91 settlement of the estate of John Kingman mentions, without naming them, three daughters [MD 30:184-186]. We know from other contemporary records that the three were:
1) Elizabeth, who married Thomas Mitchell 01-Jan-1695/96 at Bridgewater [MD 3:9; BridgewaterVR 2:222, 257].
2) Deliverance, who married Jacob Mitchell, brother of Thomas, that same day in a double ceremony with her sister.
3) Susanna, who married Chilton Latham 06-Dec-1699 at Bridgewater [MD 2:146; BridgewaterVR 2:224, 227].
Thus the three daughters of John Kingman who survived to adulthood are accounted for, and none of them married Nathaniel Packard.
Nathaniel married Lydia Smith, daughter of John Smith of Taunton by his first wife, Lydia Eliot. The proofs of this were published by Lucy Hall Greenlaw in a note entitled "Packard-Smith," (NEHGR, 59 [1905]:107-108). They are:
1) A 21-Jan-1695/96 receipt in the papers of Thomas Leonard, executor of the estate of John Smith of Taunton, signed by mark by Nathaniel at Taunton, for cooking implements due to Nathaniel's (unnamed) wife from Smith's estate.
2) A 09-Mar-1702 deed from John Smith of Taunton, son of John Smith, late of Taunton, to Nathaniel and Lydia Packard of Bridgewater, heirs to the estate of John Smith, "father of said Lydia," for a partial share in Taunton North Purchase which originally belonged to said John Smith, deceased [Bristol Co. Deeds, 4:142].
It should be noted that John Smith, Lydia's father, married as his second wife Jael Packard, Nathaniel's sister (and elder by about ten years).
Dale H. Cook, Member, NEHGS and MA Society of Mayflower Descendants;
Plymouth Co. MA Coordinator for the USGenWeb Project
Administrator of http://plymouthcolony.net