Thomas Axtell and Mary
Husband Thomas Axtell
Born: 26 Jan 1619 - Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England Christened: Died: 8 Mar 1646 - Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts Buried:
Father: William Axtell (1587-1639) Mother: Thomasine (1591- )
Marriage: Abt 1637-1638 - Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England
Wife Mary
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Children
1 F Mary Axtell
Born: 25 Sep 1639 - Berkhamstead, Hampshire, England Christened: Died: 14 Apr 1704 - Sudbury, Middlesex, England Buried:Spouse: John Goodenow (1635-1721) Marr: 19 Sep 1656 - Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts
2 M Henry Axtell
Born: Christened: 13 Oct 1641 - Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England Died: 20 Apr 1676 - Marlborough, Middlesex, Massachusetts Buried:Spouse: Jemima Leonards ( - ) Marr: 14 Jun 1665 - Marlborough, Middlesex, MassachusettsSpouse: Hannah Merriam (1645- ) Marr: 14 Jun 1665 - Marlborough, Middlesex, Massachusetts
3 F Lydia Axtell
Born: 1 Jun 1644 - Sudbury, Massachusetts Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Joseph Moore ( - )Spouse: John Moore ( - )
General Notes (Husband)
Had two children in England, baptism recorded in St p[eters. Left England as early as 1643 in OCtober. Thomas purased five acres of land in Sudbury, MA of Edmmund Rice, who had come from Berkhamstead, five years later.
Two of the sources for these notes are the very extensive Axtell web site http://www.axtellfamily.org, and Sumner Chilton Powell's Puritan Village. I apologize for the fact that I don't have apparent quotes from web sites identified. If someone identifies some of them, I will credit them properly.
"The young Englishman was a soldier or atleast trained to arms [he was the son of the mayor of Berkhamstead]; he was of strong Puritanical leanings, like his brother Daniel the regicide." Hardships and exposure are supposed to have killed him soon after he got his house built. His widow, Mary, married John Maynard, a widower w a boy of eight, on June 16, 1646.
Another version is that John Maynard had a 16 year old son.
He married Mary, marriage record not found, last name unknown, around 1637/8, had two children christened in Berkhamstead from 1641, and sailed with them to New England. Last one born in New England (I think).
Thomas AXTELL was born about 26 Jan 1619 in Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England. Died in Mar 1646 in Sudbury, MA. Son of William and Thomasine Axtell, was baptised in St. Peter's Church, Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England, January 26, 1619 (N.S.). His father died in 1638. He married Mary -- probably in 1638; two children were born to them in England, and their baptism is recorded in St. Peter's. They left England as early as 1643, for in October of that year, Thomas purchased five acres of land in Sudbury, Massachusetts, of Edmond Rice, who himself had come from Berkhamstead five years earlier. This land is described as "lying in ye south part of ye town-bounds, the southwest side lying to the commons and joined to the land of Edmond Rice, southward and northward to the highway leading from Sudbury to Mr. Duston's farm." This is what is now Wayland near "The Five Paths." Thomas took the oath of fidelity July 8, 1645. He died in March, 1646, and was buried the 8th of that month. The following is the inventory of Thomas Axtell of Sudbury, lately deceased, Imprimi: His land and house 8œ 10s Cattle 8œ 10s Wearing apparel and bedding with his arms 10œ Brass and pewter 5œ Edmond Rice bought back the land, six acres, and dwelling house. This was near the spring. The story told in those words is short, indeed, but we are permitted to see what it stands for. The young Englishman was a soldier or at least trained to arms; he was of strong puritanical leanings, like his brother Daniel the regicide. With his wife and two little ones he followed his neighbor across the sea to make his home in a frontier settlement of New England. Scarcely had he set up his rooftree in the wilderness when hardships and exposure struck him down. With his last breath he leaves his little all for the helpless group about his death bed. Mary, the widow of Thomas, appears to have married John Maynard, a widower with a boy of eight, on June 16, 1646.
1642: Came to this country. "Robert Darvell, a chief burgess of the borough of Berhamsted, who had spent years helping to administer both town and church, left England with Rice, as did Thomas Axtell, the young son of the mayor of the borough. And yet neither of these two men were ever elected to any major town post in their new town of Sudbury." "Thomas, the son of (Robert) Darvell's old mayor, William Axtell gained even less recognition. While he might have inherited his father's position had he stayed at home in Berhamsted, Thomas chose to emigrate to a town which did not even grant him land or meadow. He had to buy five acres of upland from Edmund Rice, and it is not surprising that his son, Henry moved to another new town to try his luck."Puritan Village The Formation of a New England Town Chilton Sumner Powell)
Thomas emigrated in 1642 at age 23. He must have observed his father's work and been familiar with town government, but he was not active in the government of Sudbury, Massachusetts. Powell speculates that he was simply younger than the other settlers. Also, he arrived 4 years after the original settlers. He died just 4 years after that and never played a large role in the new settlement.
Thomas Axtell came to America in 1642 and settling in Sudbury with his wife, took the oath of fidelity July 8th, 1645. Two children, Henry and Lydia, were born at Sudbury. Scarcely had Thomas Axtell set up his rooftree in the wilderness when the terrible hardships and rigors of that era struck him down. He died in March 1646 and was buried in Sudbury the 8th of that month.
Powell gives a sense of the daily life and the values in the English towns and in the wilderness settlement of Sudbury. With so little information about the first 2 generations of Axtells in America, this book is the best source for imagining how they lived. We may never know Thomas's reasons for leaving his home for America, but Puritan Village describes several good reasons for emigration. In any case, it was obviously not an easy decision for a 23-year-old with 2 very young children. Possible reasons for leaving England included:
the 1630-31 drought. Besides personal suffering, this severe drought prompted higher borough taxes that stayed relatively high in the following years. These borough taxes were in addition to the manorial rents that were due annually to the lord of the manor.
His Majesty's Ship Money Tax. This traditionally was charged only to coastal towns that benefited directly from naval protection--mostly against pirates. Starting in 1635, a high rate was also charged to inland towns, including Berkhamsted and other towns of the early Sudbury settlers.
the Civil War pitting the Parliamentarians and Puritans against the King and the Aristocracy. The violence had deep, 5-year-old roots but reached London in January 1642 when King Charles tried to impeach 6 members of Parliament. Full-scale war started 23 October 1642.
the powerful Anglican church with its "popish" customs. Puritans were the targets of Royal Proclamations such as one on 10 December 1641 requiring conformity to the rituals of the Church of England.
These reasons make it easier to imagine taking your family to a distant colony of the British Empire to get away from high taxes, persecution, and possible violence. But many Puritans, including Thomas's brother Daniel, stayed behind. We may never know what finally prompted Thomas to uproot his family.
A sampling of other interesting details you will find:
Berkhamsted was a market town with a population of about 1500 of whom about 200 were taxpayers.
Open field farmers shared communal farm tools. This may explain why no tools are included in the inventory of Thomas's estate after his death.
Childhood was short. During the 1630-31 drought in England, only poor children under 6 were certain to receive aid from the borough. Children 6-12 qualified only if they were put to some honest labor and their families were still too poor to assist them. Children 12 and above were expected to provide for their own necessities.
Berkhamsted was on the edge of the open-field territory and had a combination of open fields and closes, so Thomas was probably familiar with both styles of farming.
The first settlers of Sudbury walked west from Watertown along the "Great Trail" or "Connecticut Path". Thiswas an Indian trail that lead to Hartford, Connecticut. (The original town center of Sudbury is today part of Wayland, Massachusetts, where a paved road is still called "The Old Connecticut Path".)
General Notes (Wife)
From http://www.axtellfamily.org/axgenea/axcheney.html, from the Axtell Family Organization:
She was NOT the daughter of Comfort Starr! Ballou's well researched work on the Starr family in the Register, reprinted by FTM, conclusively rules out that possibility, nor did it ever make sense. Thomas was already married to Mary and they had two children when they came to Massachusetts; they did not live in the same part of England as teh Starr's. Mary Starr travelled with her father and was unmarried at the time. Mary Starr actually married John Maynard of Dudley on May 16, 1640. James Savage lists four John Maynard's in eastern Massachusetts at that time. Mary the widow of Thomas Axtell really did marry John Maynard, of Sudbury, where she lived, which makes sense. They lived long, prospered and had a large family - but Mary STarr the wife of the other John Maynard was dead by 1659.
It has been conjectured that Mary (___) Axtell Maynard was the daughter of Comfort Starr of Duxbury, Mass. SHE WAS NOT!!!!! The following facts together with the above outline will serve to once and for all set the record straight.
- Mary STARR was the wife of John Maynard of Duxbury, Mass., having married him in that place on the 16th day of May, 1640. Her father, Comfort Starr, died on the 2nd day of January, 1659. His will was probated on the 3rd of February, 1659 and in it he made bequests to the five children of his DECEASED daughter Maynard. Therefore we know that Mary (Starr) MAYNARD was dead by 1659!
- John MAYNARD of Sudbury made his will on the 4th day of September, 1672 and died on the 10th day of December, 1672. It was probated on the 1st of April, 1673. In his will he made provisions for his wife MARY and no changes had been made pertaining to her at probate. So we know that Mary (___) Axtell Maynard was still alive in 1673.
FACT: this is a six year difference in the marriage dates of John and Mary (Starr) MAYNARD of Duxbury (16 May 1640) and that of John and Mary (___) Axtell MAYNARD of Sudbury (16 June 1646) which further bears out the fact that these were two different couples.
One cannot assume because of the closeness of names, dates and places that they could be or are the same people. Plus we must note that Mary (___) Axtell was still very much married to a very much alive Thomas Axtell and they were still living in England in 1640, when the Maynard-Starr marriage took place.
To those that would then conjecture that the two John Maynards were the same person and married to both the Mary's, one must consider that if he had married Mary Starr in 1640 she would have had to be deceased by 1646 when he married the Widow Axtell, they would have had 5 children over a six year period and even back then that would have been a bit much unless their were multiple births involved. The fact that John Maynard of Sudbury named his children in his will and all can be accounted for by his two marriages also dismisses that idea.
According to James Savage in his 'Genealogical Dictionary of Early American Settlers', there were no less than four men scattered around eastern Mass. During the same time who were named John Maynard.
I have presented the facts extracted from various records that show that it is highly unlikely that John Maynard of Sudbury and John Maynard of Duxbury were the same person. These same records show that it is physically impossible for Mary (___) Axtell Maynard and Mary (Starr) Maynard to be the same person. To those who would close their eyes and minds to the facts taken from printed records [and] seek only to put a name on a blank page not caring if it is right or wrong: Seeking out these facts will put another MYTH TO REST.
Sources: 1. Vital Records of Sudbury and Marlboro(ugh), Mass. 2. Church Register, St. Peters Church, Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England 3. Axtell Genealogy - by Carson Axtell 4. Genealogical Dictionary of Early New England Settlers - by James Savage 5. History of Framingham Mass. - by William Barry 6. Genealogy and Personal Memories of Boston & East Mass. - by Cutter 7. Puritan Village - by Sumner C. Powell 8. Pioneers of Mass. - by Charles Pope 9. Will of John Maynard of Sudbury 10. Will of Comfort Starr 11. Various other publications that duplicated and sourced the above publications 12. Others researching the same families
It has also been conjectured that Mary (___) Axtell Maynard's maiden name was Rice. To my knowledge this conjecture has never been proven or disproven satisfactorily.
I don't know how other researchers have arrived at their conclusions in regard to the RICE theory, but after researching the few known facts I have developed a possibility...but again this is only conjecture and if any researcher has printed records that prove or disprove the following theory I will be happy to see them so that another Myth can be Put To Rest....
FACT: Mary Rice, daughter of Edmund and Thomasine (Frost) Rice was baptized on the 23rd day of August 1619 in Stanstead, Suffolk, England. Most researchers list her as being unmarried when in actuality no record of a marriage has yet to be found. Therefore we cannot conjecture that she was unmarried. No record of a death has been found either for a Mary Rice.
-: Edmund Rice and his family moved to Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England by 1627. By 1639 they had left England and settled in Sudbury, Mass.
- Thomas Axtell and his wife Mary and their two children left England and settled in Sudbury, Mass. by 1643. In October of that year Thomas purchased 5 acres of land from Edmund Rice, and after the death of Thomas in 1646, Edmund purchased back the land and the dwelling from Mary Axtell. Edmund also testified under oath that he heard Thomas Axtell say that "it was his desire that his wife Mary have all his estate in order to bring up his children."
Theory: The fact that Thomas' father William Axtell and Edmund Rice were neighbors with children the same age in Berkhamstead we can be sure that Thomas Axtell and Mary Rice were well acquainted and the possibility exists that they may have fallen in love. Since no marriage record has been found for either Thomas Axtell or Mary Rice, it is also possible that Thomas went with the Rice family to see them off at the Port of Embarkation and he and Mary decided there that they could not bear to part. They may have married at a local church in the Port village and then returned to Berkhamstead to start their lives together.
One researcher wrote in 1945 that "Thomas Axtell had followed his NEIGHBOR Edmund Rice to America." Might it be more likely that he would have followed his father-in-law rather than just a neighbor?
Please remember that the RICE/Axtell theory is just that, a theory. I have an open mind and welcome comments.
Marilyn (Axtell) Cheney (1988)
-------------------
http://www.axtellfamily.org/axgenea/axcheney.html
A Myth Put To Rest By Marilyn (Axtell) Cheney (1988)
I was lucky that by the time I was born my Axtell lineage had already been traced and published by several members of the family. For the past 7 years I have been wholeheartedly tracing the "ladies" of my direct line. For the better part of this time, I kept coming across the same conjectures over and over again. If only the researchers would put the known facts down they would see that what came up would straighten out the story.
Those researching the AXTELL, GOODENOW, MAYNARD, MOORE and STARR lineages will be especially interested in these facts since they may concern their ancestors. I will endeavor to show how I and other researchers have reached the conclusions now accepted and show that Mary (___) Axtell Maynard was NOT the daughter of Comfort Starr.
Thomas Axtell, son of William and his wife Thomasine (___) Axtell, was born circa 1618/19 in Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England and was baptized on the 26th day of January in 1619 in St. Peters Church, Berkhamstead. Although no marriage has been found as yet for Thomas, we estimate that he married Mary (___) about 1637/38 since their first child, Mary, was christened in Berkhamstead on the 15th day of October 1641.
In about 1642/43 Thomas, Mary and their two children embarked for Massachusetts, and upon arrival or shortly thereafter purchased five acres of land from Edmund Rice in Sudbury. On the 1st day of June 1644 their third and last child was born. She was named Lydia.
Hardship and exposure took their toll on Thomas and he died on March of 1646, leaving his wife Mary and three small children. Mary however did not remain a widow long for three months later on the 14th of June 1646 she married John Maynard who was a widower who resided in Sudbury with his son John Junior who was then about 16 years old.
While John and Mary were well on their way to having a family of their own, Mary's children by Thomas Axtell were becoming of age and starting to marry. The oldest daughter, Mary Axtell, married John Goodenow on the 19th day of September, 1656 in Sudbury, Henry, the only son and second child, married Hannah Merriam on the 14th day of June 1665 in Marlboro(ugh), and the last daughter, Lydia, married Joseph Moore. Since Lydia was but 2 years old at the time of her mother's marriage to John Maynard, he must have loved her dearly since in his WILL he referred to her as his DAUGHTER Lydia... when in fact she was the daughter of his wife and her first husband.
It has been conjectured that Mary (___) Axtell Maynard was the daughter of Comfort Starr of Duxbury, Mass. SHE WAS NOT!!!!! The following facts together with the above outline will serve to once and for all set the record straight.
FACT: Mary STARR was the wife of John Maynard of Duxbury, Mass., having married him in that place on the 16th day of May, 1640. Her father, Comfort Starr, died on the 2nd day of January, 1659. His will was probated on the 3rd of February, 1659 and in it he made bequests to the five children of his DECEASED daughter Maynard. Therefore we know that Mary (Starr) MAYNARD was dead by 1659!
FACT: John MAYNARD of Sudbury made his will on the 4th day of September, 1672 and died on the 10th day of December, 1672. It was probated on the 1st of April, 1673. In his will he made provisions for his wife MARY and no changes had been made pertaining to her at probate. So we know that Mary (___) Axtell Maynard was still alive in 1673.
FACT: this is a six year difference in the marriage dates of John and Mary (Starr) MAYNARD of Duxbury (16 May 1640) and that of John and Mary (___) Axtell MAYNARD of Sudbury (16 June 1646) which further bears out the fact that these were two different couples.
One cannot assume because of the closeness of names, dates and places that they could be or are the same people. Plus we must note that Mary (___) Axtell was still very much married to a very much alive Thomas Axtell and they were still living in England in 1640, when the Maynard-Starr marriage took place.
To those that would then conjecture that the two John Maynards were the same person and married to both the Mary's, one must consider that if he had married Mary Starr in 1640 she would have had to be deceased by 1646 when he married the Widow Axtell, they would have had 5 children over a six year period and even back then that would have been a bit much unless their were multiple births involved. The fact that John Maynard of Sudbury named his children in his will and all can be accounted for by his two marriages also dismisses that idea.
According to James Savage in his 'Genealogical Dictionary of Early American Settlers', there were no less than four men scattered around eastern Mass. During the same time who were named John Maynard.
I have presented the facts extracted from various records that show that it is highly unlikely that John Maynard of Sudbury and John Maynard of Duxbury were the same person. These same records show that it is physically impossible for Mary (___) Axtell Maynard and Mary (Starr) Maynard to be the same person. To those who would close their eyes and minds to the facts taken from printed records [and] seek only to put a name on a blank page not caring if it is right or wrong: Seeking out these facts will put another MYTH TO REST.
Sources:1. Vital Records of Sudbury and Marlboro(ugh), Mass.
2. Church Register, St. Peters Church, Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England
3. Axtell Genealogy - by Carson Axtell
4. Genealogical Dictionary of Early New England Settlers - by James Savage
5. History of Framingham Mass. - by William Barry
6. Genealogy and Personal Memories of Boston & East Mass. - by Cutter
7. Puritan Village - by Sumner C. Powell
8. Pioneers of Mass. - by Charles Pope
9. Will of John Maynard of Sudbury
10. Will of Comfort Starr
11. Various other publications that duplicated and sourced the above publications
12. Others researching the same families
It has also been conjectured that Mary (___) Axtell Maynard's maiden name was Rice. To my knowledge this conjecture has never been proven or disproven satisfactorily.
I don't know how other researchers have arrived at their conclusions in regard to the RICE theory, but after researching the few known facts I have developed a possibility...but again this is only conjecture and if any researcher has printed records that prove or disprove the following theory I will be happy to see them so that another Myth can be Put To Rest....
FACT: Mary Rice, daughter of Edmund and Thomasine (Frost) Rice was baptized on the 23rd day of August 1619 in Stanstead, Suffolk, England. Most researchers list her as being unmarried when in actuality no record of a marriage has yet to be found. Therefore we cannot conjecture that she was unmarried. No record of a death has been found either for a Mary Rice.
FACT: Edmund Rice and his family moved to Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England by 1627. By 1639 they had left England and settled in Sudbury, Mass.
FACT: Thomas Axtell and his wife Mary and their two children left England and settled in Sudbury, Mass. by 1643. In October of that year Thomas purchased 5 acres of land from Edmund Rice, and after the death of Thomas in 1646, Edmund purchased back the land and the dwelling from Mary Axtell. Edmund also testified under oath that he heard Thomas Axtell say that "it was his desire that his wife Mary have all his estate in order to bring up his children."
Theory: The fact that Thomas' father William Axtell and Edmund Rice were neighbors with children the same age in Berkhamstead we can be sure that Thomas Axtell and Mary Rice were well acquainted and the possibility exists that they may have fallen in love. Since no marriage record has been found for either Thomas Axtell or Mary Rice, it is also possible that Thomas went with the Rice family to see them off at the Port of Embarkation and he and Mary decided there that they could not bear to part. They may have married at a local church in the Port village and then returned to Berkhamstead to start their lives together.
One researcher wrote in 1945 that "Thomas Axtell had followed his NEIGHBOR Edmund Rice to America." Might it be more likely that he would have followed his father-in-law rather than just a neighbor?
Please remember that the RICE/Axtell theory is just that, a theory. I have an open mind and welcome comments.
Marilyn (Axtell) Cheney (1988)
Marilyn (Axtell) Cheney is descended from both Mary (Axtell) Goodenow and Henry Axtell
Notes (Marriage)
Marriage record not found, date guessed from christening of first child found in church records.
Axtell family organization web site: Although no marriage has been found as yet for Thomas, we estimate that he married Mary (___) about 1637/38 since their first child, Mary, was christened in Berkhamstead on the 15th day of October 1641.
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