Abigail (Carpenter) Palmer (bef. 1629 - 1710)

Born before 31 May 1629 in Shalbourne, Berkshire, England

Ancestors

Wife of John Titus Sr. — married about 1659 in Rehoboth, Bristol Co., Massachusetts

Wife of Jonah Palmer Sr. — married 9 Nov 1692 in Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 5 Mar 1710 after age 80 in Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jay Byrne [send private message]

Biography

Abigail (Carpenter) Palmer immigrated to New England as a child during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640).

1629 Birth and Baptism

Abigail Carpenter was baptized 31 May 1629 in Shalbourne, Wiltshire, England; her exact birthdate is unknown, probably unrecorded, Her parents were William Carpenter ("William of Rehoboth") and Abigail Briant.^[1]

Abigail is often identified as the twin of her younger brother Abiah, and assigned his birthdate of April 9, 1643, in Weymouth, Massachusetts; however, according to Zubrinski, this is due to Amos B. Carpenter's misinterpretation of her father's will and of Weymouth vital records.^[2] Her birthdate (probably never recorded, as is typical of English births of this period) is often given as "April 9, 1629" (see changes for this profile) -- which is likely derived by combining Abiah's birthday with her baptismal year.

1638 Arrival on the Bevis

In the words of researcher Eugene Zubrinski, "She was the second eldest of four Carpenter children who accompanied their parents and paternal grandfather to Massachusetts on the Bevis"^[3]

The family as they appear on the passenger list:

(Carpenter family, detail from the Bevis passenger list.) More regarding the Bevis, and the full list of passengers, can be seen here: The Bevis, 1638

1649 First Marriage to John Titus

Abigail married first, John Titus, with whom she had

John Titus Jr,

Abigail Titus,

Joseph Titus (Twin),

Mary (Titus) Bowen (Twin),

Sarah Titus,

Silas Titus,

Hannah Titus,

Samuel Titus and

Experience Titus.^[4][5]

Did John Titus Have an Earlier Wife?

Possibly because the later birth date would make Abigail too young to be the mother of her first children, an early researcher "found" a previous wife for her husband:

"Amos Carpenter^[6] asserts (and others repeat) that Abigail married John Titus about 1659, after the death of a first wife Rachel (see Carpenter [1898] 47). There was no such woman, however. Abigail is recorded as the mother of all John Titus's children, the eldest born on 18 December 1650."

Based on the birth of their first son, Abigail and John Titus may have been married in 1649 or early in 1650.

1692 Second Marriage to Jonah Palmer

Second, as his second wife, she married Jonah Palmer, son of Walter Palmer, on November 9, 1692, in Rehoboth, Massachusetts.^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ Zubrinski, 2012
2. ↑ Zubrinski, 2012; see under "BIRTH"
3. ↑ Zubrinski, 2012
4. ↑ Vital Record of Rehoboth, p. 755
5. ↑ Zubrinski, 2012
6. ↑ Carpenter 1898
7. ↑ Vital Record of Rehoboth

• Abigail³ Carpenter (William^2–1) of Rehoboth, Massachusetts; by Eugene Cole Zubrinsky, FASG, published by author, Ojai, California, 2008, revised 15 October 2012 (Zubrinski, 2012) Online at www.carpentercousins.com

• Passengers on the Ship Bevis in 1638 'Founders of numerous American families, many of them English followers of the Rev. Stephen Bachiler, arrived at Boston in 1638 aboard the ship Bevis.' by Rosemary E. Bachelor; undated.

• Full transcription of passenger list, compiled by Anne Stevens, from packrat-pro.com online (Stevens)

• Vital Record of Rehoboth, 1642-1895, Marriages, Intentions, Births, Deaths, by James N. Arnold; Providence, R.I. Narragansett Historical Publishing Company, 1897 Online at archive.org.

• The history with the errors:

A Genealogical History of the Rehoboth Branch of the Carpenter Family in America, by Amos B. Carpenter; Amherst, Mass., 1898 Online at archive.org

• BIRTH, FATHER - Carpenter Family Memorial, Amos Bugbee Carpenter, West Waterford, VT?, 1899
• A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, James Savage, Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1990, p.92