Mary (Atkins) Hackett (abt. 1642 - bef. 1686)

Ancestors

Biography

Mary was born about 1642 probably in England, but possibly in Plymouth Colony. She was the daughter of Thomas Atkins and Elizabeth (Scammons) Atkins.

The names of seven of the ten daughters of Thomas Atkins appear in a 1716 deed selling his land after his death:

"'Whereas Thomas Atkins formerly of Kenebec husbandman 60 years since bot of the Indians a large tract of land in ye Province of Maine in New England lying between the River of Sagadahock or Kenebec and Casco Bay and did build upon improve and possess the same till driven thence by ye Indian War and did when ye war was over return to his said land and die there intestate leaving behind him no son but ten daughters.... Elizabeth Davis (of Beverly Widow), Samuel and Anne Clarke (of Marblehead, blacksmith), Sarah Gurney (wife of Samuel Gurney of Little Compton, husbandman), Thomas and Abigail Washburne (of Bridgewater, husbandman), John and Ruth Haskins (of Scituate, husbandman), James and Rachel Berry (of Boston, laborer) and Rebecca Hall living at Tarpolin Cove.' who give, grant, &c. unto John Wentworth et als. Dated 2 April 1716.--York County Registry of Deeds"^[1]

The said deed, found in York Deeds, Volume VIII, Fol. 169 (p. 287)^[2] refers to the ten daughters, but lists only seven as part of the recorded transaction. It does stipulate "eight tenths", thereby acknowledging that the list of daughters is incomplete. Those missing appear to be Susanna (Atkins) Green, Mary (Atkins) Hackett, and Margaret (Atkins) Hackett, based on the list presented in Margaret (Atkins) Hackett's profile, but the deed mentions Elizabeth Davis of Beverly, widow, who is not mentioned in that list.

Another article, The Ten Daughters of Thomas Atkins of Kennebec, found in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, suggests that Mary may have been the eldest, probably born about 1642, and probably in England. She is the first daughter mentioned 7 Aug 1660 in connection with a court action against her father (Plymouth Colony Court Orders, vol. 3, p 192). ^[3]

When Mary was about 18, she married William Hackett of Dover, Exeter and Kennebec, perhaps as his second wife, before 2 December 1665 in Phippsburg, Sagadahoc, Maine, although this date is uncertain as a delimiter. In other words, there were two daughters born to William Hackett at about this time: Mary, born in Exeter on 2 Dec 1665 is seen by some as possibly belonging to Mary (Atkins) Hackett, and by others as belonging to a possible first wife; and Rebecca, who married 5 Aug 1695, Jonathan Whidden of Portsmouth. These children were given their share of the Thomas Atkins estate, said shares being signed for by their aunt and uncle, Rachel and James Berry. It seems to me that had young Mary been the daughter of a woman not Rachel's sister, she would not have signed for her share. For this reason, I am estimating the marriage date for Mary and William to be between 1660 - 1664. As for young Rebecca's date of birth, I am estimating that to be about 1667, two years after her sister and 18 years prior to her marriage.^[3]

Mary died, and William remarried. He died near January 1686-7. Therefore, Mary died between 1667 and 1686. That there are no other children named doesn't mean there weren't any, but probably means that if there were, they did not survive. Note the phrase in the section about Mary, ... At least two daughters survived ... she could have given birth prior to young Mary, after young Rebecca, or both. Keep in mind, too, that William and Mary were impacted by the various Indian wars, notably King Phillip's war in 1676 which sent all the colonists in the area packing, retreating, in their case, to Exeter. Perhaps Mary did not survive that attack, although I haven't seen any indication. Location of death would be very useful.

Sources

1. ↑ Submitted by Charles E. Banks to The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 34 (1880), p. 314.
2. ↑ Maine: Early Wills and Deeds, 1640-1760. CD-ROM. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.)subscription may be required
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Vital Records from the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (Compiled from articles originally published in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register.)subscription may be required