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Lydia (Unknown) Fletcher (bef. 1622 - 1704)

Lydia Fletcher formerly [surname unknown] aka Bates
Born before in Boston, Lincolnshire, Englandmap
Daughter of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Wife of — married 1641 in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colonymap
Wife of — married 7 Nov 1645 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colonymap
Descendants descendants
Died after age 82 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, Province of Massachusetts Baymap
Profile last modified | Created 5 Mar 2012
This page has been accessed 642 times.
The Puritan Great Migration.
Lydia (Unknown) Fletcher migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640).
Join: Puritan Great Migration Project
Discuss: pgm

Contents

Disputed Origins

Several online Google books[1] and at least one web site[2] indicate that Lydia was the daughter of Richard Fairbanks and Elizabeth Daulton. But this has not been proven conclusively to be the maiden name of the woman who married William Fletcher and Edward Bates.

"Some secondary sources suggest that Lydia (_____) (Bates) Fletcher may have been daughter of Richard Fairbanks of Boston [Snow-Estes 1:296; Farwell Gen 1:45]. The latter source, for instance, says "there is evidence of some association between the two families" (Richard Fairbanks and Henry Farwell), but does not produce the evidence. Nothing in the career of Richard Fairbanks suggests that he had a daughter Lydia."[3]

Biography

Lydia (Unknown) Fletcher is related to US President Franklin Pierce. Here is the trail.

She married first Edward Bates by whom she had one son, John.

She married second, in Concord, William Fletcher.

She died 12 Oct 1704 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, Massachusetts[4]

Christening

Lidia was Christened on 13 June 1622 at Boston, Lincolnshire, England [5]

Sources

  1. For example, Howard Morrison Rowe, Our Heritage: A Story of Twenty Families, 1995, page 368: States that Lydia Fairbanks is the daughter of Richard Fairbanks and arrived in the colonies in 1633 on same boat as future spouse Edward Bates
  2. Kratzner Family Home Page; this web site also implies that that all her (9!) children were with Edward Bates, even those born AFTER 1645. NOTE: Site no longer seems to exist as of November 21, 2021
  3. Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins, Boston, MA: NEHGS (1995), page 133
  4. Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2010), citing Chelmsford Vital Records, Page 391: "Lydya, wid., Oct. 12, 1704"
  5. The parish registers of Boston in the County of Lincoln. Volume 2. Page 99. by Boston (England); Besant, Frank; Foster, C. W. (Charles Wilmer)

See also:

  • Page 6. Concord Mariages: William ffletcher and Lidia Bats the 7th (9)mo, 1645.




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Comments: 16

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If her last name is not known, the christening record cannot be hers. So her specific birthdate and place need to be more general
posted by S (Hill) Willson
Profile Managers, Trusted List members, and interested others:

Since the discussion about her last name at birth being Fairbanks has been going on since 2014, and no reliable sources posted to this profile in support of that name, I think it is time to change her last name at birth to Unknown.

Are there reliable sources you can add in the very near future for her last name being Fairbanks? If not, I propose we change her last name too Unknown, as Anderson has it.

Edited to add: It seems very doubtul that her next youngest sibling was born 14 years later.

posted on Fairbanks-141 (merged) by S (Hill) Willson
edited by S (Hill) Willson
I concur. will act if no further comments.
posted on Fairbanks-141 (merged) by Toby Rockwell
How do we know that the Boston, Lincolnshire baptism relates to the PGM immigrant?
posted on Fairbanks-141 (merged) by Jillaine Smith
I'm not finding any evidence that her LNAB was Fairbanks. Based on the bio, I think it probably should be changed to Unknown.
posted on Fairbanks-141 (merged) by M Cole
Bates-1483 and Fairbanks-141 appear to represent the same person because: Correct LNAB should be Fairbanks
posted on Fairbanks-141 (merged) by Robin Lee
Robin, elsewhere you posted you know her maiden name was Fairbanks. What's the source for that?
posted on Fairbanks-141 (merged) by Jillaine Smith
The profile was displaying poorly because of a long URL; I've fixed that.

BTW, it's wikitree policy to use "Unknown" when a surname is not documented. I place the possible name followed by (unproven) in the Other last name field.

posted on Fairbanks-141 (merged) by Jillaine Smith
Thank you for the addition of the brickwall category and the findagrave, those are important assistant devices. Does anyone else have an issue with this profile showing up oddly in their browser?
posted on Fairbanks-141 (merged) by Robin (Felch) Wedertz
Yes, DNA might turn up some patterns, especially the X-DNA, which carries down the maternal side with paternal info.

But regular paper and library research is probably the next best step. I've added some clues (secondary sources) and it is up to whoever is curious enough to see if Richard Fairbanks and Elizabeth Daulton can be show to be Lydia's likely parents. Proof may not be possible. Patterns and probability, yes. Who is a blood relative in this profile, and are they interested? To be fair I joined to carefully separate the Bates from Weymouth from the Bates in Boston who were previously all mixed up at WT and now are in evolving better shape. My family line is in the Bates from Weymouth not this profile (so far).

Sandy

(reformed to avoid wide screen issue )

posted on Fairbanks-141 (merged) by Sandy Culver
For a DNA comparison, I think you would first have to find a brother or uncle. As we can't even find her parents, I don't think that is a go.
posted on Fairbanks-141 (merged) by Vic Watt
A DNA comparison with a known descendant of Richard Fairbanks of Boston would be required to prove the issue... is that possible?

(I was hoping you would jump in, Sandy!)

posted on Fairbanks-141 (merged) by Robin (Felch) Wedertz
I wonder is there are Fletcher or Bates descendants who might be able to add to this discussion...though some outreach might be needed to stir their interest.

I don't have a problem listing her names as done so far with some bolded text added in the Bio to indicate the uncertainty.

I just added Findagrave as a secondary source. Can we find more sources?

Sandy

posted on Fairbanks-141 (merged) by Sandy Culver
That is good to know, Vic. I am on the fence about this one. Documentation can place this woman in time, place, with her husbands, and with her children. This provides tenuous connections to possible parentage, which is enough to give her an evidence-based identity, in the absence of other persons who conflict with this information. Thus, although this daughter may not have been mentioned, at least as far as R.C. Anderson could ascertain, it could simply be that she displeased her father.
posted on Fairbanks-141 (merged) by Robin (Felch) Wedertz

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