Martha (Doane) Harding (abt. 1607 - bef. 1633)

Born about 1607 in England

Wife of Unknown Harding — married about 1628 in England

Descendants

Died before 8 Oct 1633 before about age 26 in Plymouth, Plymouth Colony

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Isara Argent [send private message] and Puritan Great Migration Project WikiTree [send private message]

Martha (Doane) Harding migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See Great Migration Begins, by R. C. Anderson, Vol. 2, p. 854) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

This is the profile for Martha Harding who died in Plymouth in 1633.

Limited Records

The only records for Martha that have been found are (1) an entry for "Widow Harding . . . 00:09:00" in a tax list entered in the records of a meeting of the Plymouth Colony General Court held on March 25, 1633^[1][2] and (2) her estate records described below under "Death; Estate."

Maiden Name; Parentage

Martha's maiden name is uncertain. Since Martha left her son in the custody of John Doane and John Doane was appointed as administrator of Martha's estate, Anderson, in his profile for Martha in Great Migration Begins, concluded that it is likely that Martha was John's sister.^[2] It is therefore likely that Martha's maiden name was Doane. Assuming that to be the case, Martha's parentage is unknown since John Doane's parentage is unknown.

Date and Place of Birth

As discussed below under "Children," Martha's son was probably born sometime in 1627-1631. Assuming that Martha was 20-25 at the time of his birth, that suggests that Martha was most probably born sometime in 1602-1611, with 1607 being a reasonable round-number estimate. Consistent with this date range, Anderson stated that Martha was born by about 1612 and probably some years earlier.^[2]

Based on her date of birth, Martha was almost certainly born in England, but where in England is unknown.

Marriage

Based on her surname, Martha married a man whose surname was Harding. His first name and identity, however, are unknown. Abner Morse, in his 1864 Several Ancient Puritans,^[3] and Wilbur J. Harding, in his 1925 Hardings in America (which largely relied on Morse),^[4] claimed that her husband was a man named Joseph Harding who immigrated in 1623 with Robert Gorges' party. Several other secondary sources and many family trees have adopted these claims. However, as discussed in the profile for Joseph Harding, no evidence of his existence has been found and he appears to have been invented as a possible bridge between Hardings in England and later Hardings in New England. In his profile for Martha in Great Migration Begins, Anderson left her husband's first name blank, indicating that he and his team had found no reliable evidence of his first name.^[2] Anderson further stated that Martha's husband presumably died in England before Martha and her son sailed for New England.^[2] Anderson did not explain the rationale for that assertion, but it was probably based on (1) the fact that no evidence has been found that establishes that her husband was ever in New England and (2) the fact that Martha's estate records show that she owed money to her husband's brothers in England.^[5]

Based on the estimated date of birth of Martha's son (1627-1631), Martha and her husband were probably married sometime in 1625-1630, with about 1628 being a reasonable round-number estimate.

Only Child: Joseph Harding of Eastham

Abner Morse^[3] and Wilibur Harding (again probably in reliance on Morse)^[4] stated that Joseph and Martha had two children: John, born about 1625, and Joseph, born in 1629. However, a record relating to Martha's estate states that she "dyed without will leeving one son in the custody of mr Joh Done the Administrator of the said Martha in whose behalf the said Joh. Done allowed to administer."^[5] This record strongly suggests that Martha had only one child, and no evidence has been found that suggests that Martha had any other children. Anderson, in his Great Migration Begins profile for Martha apparently concurred and listed only one child, without even discussing the possibility of a second.^[2]

Savage, in his 1860 Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, stated that it was possible that John Harding who was in Duxbury in 1643 was Martha's son.^[6] However, Anderson's profile for Martha shows that her son was Joseph Harding who married Bethiah Cooke in Eastham, Massachusetts in 1660.^[2] Anderson did not explain the rationale for that assertion but it was no doubt based on the fact that (1) John Doane, the guardian of Martha's son, removed to Eastham in 1645^[7] and (2) the 1660 marriage of Joseph Harding in Eastham is an appropriate date of the marriage of Martha's son.

Since, as discussed above under "Marriage," Martha's husband probably died before she immigrated to New England and, as discussed below under "Immigration to New England," Martha probably immigrated in 1632, Martha's son was probably born in England in 1631 or earlier. Assuming her son was Joseph Harding who was married in Eastham in 1660, he was most probably after 1627. It is therefore most likely that Martha's son, Joseph Harding, was born in England sometime in 1627-1631.

Immigration to New England

Since the earliest record of Martha in New England is a reference to "Widow Harding" in a tax list entered into the records of a meeting of the Plymouth Colony General Court held on March 25, 1633^[1][2] and since immigration to New England was rare in the winter months, Martha probaby immigrated with her son in 1632, although it is possible that she immigrated slightly earlier.

Death; Estate

The inventory of Martha's estate was taken on October 28, 1633 by James Hurst, Francis Cooke and John Done, which means that Martha died sometime before that date.

Set forth below is a transacription of her inventory:

A true Inventory of the goods & Chattels of Martha Harding deceased as they were prised by James Hurst ffr Cooke & John Done & presented upon Oath at a Court held the 28th Octobr An. 9 Reg Domini Carol &c. wherein Joh. Done allowed to enter upon thestate & make it good to her Creditors so far as it would extend.

Impr. 2 Gownes.................................................02 10 00

It 1 Coate & Apron.............................................01 08 00

It a pcell of smale linn......................................02 08 00

It a glasse............................................................00 01 00

It 2 p of sheets....................................................00 16 00

It 2 aprons...........................................................00 04 00

It 2 pillow beers..................................................00 03 00

It 9 napkins & a table cloath............................00 05 00

It 5 towels............................................................00 02 00

It a che.................................................................00 06 00

It a kettle & a skellet...........................................01 01 00

It a fire shovell & tongues.................................00 01 06

It a cloake............................................................00 05 00

It Pewter...............................................................00 09 00

It 3 Quaiffes.........................................................00 05 00

It 1 pann...............................................................00 01 06

It a peece.............................................................00 12 00

It Joyners tooles wth other things....................00 13 00

It a little kettle & an old pan & a pot................00 06 06

It corne.................................................................01 05 00

It a servts time sold............................................06 00 00

It a sow.................................................................02 10 00

Summe.................................................................20 18 06

Martha Harding debitor

To mr Done wherein he hath cleered & disbursed for her the sum of...................................................................................................09 09 01

It owing to divers prsons in driblets or smale pcells........04 00 00

It more to her husbands brs in Engl. to one eight pownds to another 9£

to another 3£ Suma...........................................................20 00 00^[8][9]

Since the total of her estate's debts (£33.09.01) exceeded the total of her estate's assets (£20.18.06), her estate was insolvent.

Administration of Martha's estate was allowed to John Done on behalf of Martha's one son, per the following record:

This Martha Harding dyed without will leeving one son in the custody of mr Joh Done the Administrator of the said Martha in whose behalf the said Joh. Done allowed to administer as pr order in Court Oct 28 before expressed.^[8][9]

Research Notes

• Phoebe Harding married John Brown, Jr., of Duxbury, Mar. 26, 1634. Winnifred Harding married Thomas Whitten in 1639.^[2]
• According to Anderson, Joseph Harding was complained of on 3 June 1652 for "carrying an Indian's gun into the smith to be mended in his uncle's name."^[2] In support for this statement, Anderson cited "PCR 3:10" (Vol 3, p 10 of Shurtleff's Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England). However, no record of the event can be found at that source.

^{[4] [3] [8] [6] [5] [9] [7] [2] [1]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Shurtleff, Nathaniel B. (ed). Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England. Court Orders: Vol. I. 1636-1640. 1855. p. 11. Link to page at hathitrust.org
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10} Anderson, Robert Charles. Great Migration Begins. Immigrants to New England 1620-1633. Volume II G-O. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995. pp. 854-855. Link to pages at ancestry.com.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Morse, Abner. Several Ancient Puritans. Vol. IV. 1864. p. 9. p. 89. Link to page at archive.org.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Harding, Wilbur J. The Hardings in America. The Harding Printing Co., 1925. pp 21-22. Link to pages at hathitrust.org.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} See "Death; Estate" in this profile.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Setters of New England, Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. Vol. II. Little, Brown and Company, 1860. p. 354. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Anderson, Robert Charles. Great Migration Begins. Immigrants to New England 1620-1633. Volume I A-F. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995. pp. 558-563. Link to pages at ancestry.com or AmericanAncestors (subscription)
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} Plymouth Colony Wills, 1633-1686, Vol. 1. pp. 8-9. Link to pages at familysearch.org. See images attached to this profile.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} "Plymouth Colony Wills and Inventories." The Mayflower Descendants. Vol. 1. pp. pp. 82-83. Link to pages at americanancestors.org.

See also:

• Shurtleff, Nathaniel B. (ed). Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England. Court Orders: Vol. I. 1636-1640. 1855. p. 18. Link to page at hathitrust.org. (A summary record of the taking of Martha's inventory and appointment of John Doane as administrator.)
• Doane Family. I. Deacon John Doane, of Plymouth. II. Doctor John Done, of Maryland; and Their Descendants. 1902. p. 5. Link to page at archive.org.
• Cutter, William Richard. Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of the State of Massachusetts. Volume IV. Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York, 1910. p. 1921. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 28 March 2021), memorial page for Martha Doane Harding (1612–28 Oct 1633), Find A Grave: Memorial #34694507, ; Maintained by Linda Mac (contributor 47062703) Unknown.