Mercy (Knowles) Rich (1681 - aft. 1743)

Born 13 Sep 1681 in Eastham, Plymouth Colony

Ancestors

Wife of Thomas Rich — married 23 Jul 1702 in Eastham, Barnstable County, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

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Biography

Birth

Mercy, the eldest daughter and second child of Samuel Knowles and Mercy Freeman, was born on 13 Sep 1681 at Eastham in the Plymouth Colony.^[1][2]

Marriage

Mercy married Thomas Rich on 23 Jul 1702 at Eastham;^[3][2] the marriage being recorded at Orleans in Barnstable County, Province of Massachusetts Bay.^[4] Thomas was the son of Richard and Sarah (Roberts) Rich.^[2][5]

Father's Will

Mercy was a legatee in her father's 1732 will in which she was called daughter "Mary Rich." Her mother Mercy's name was correctly recorded in the will but was mistakenly called "Mary Knowles, widow of said dec'd" in the inventory taken 28 Jul 1737.^[6][7][2]

Mother's Will

Mercy was a legatee in her mother Mercy's 1739 will in which she was called daughter "Mercy Rich."^[8][9][2]

Husband's Will

In his will Thomas Rich of Eastham named his wife Mercy, the heirs of his daughter Sarah Shaw, deceased, his son James Rich, deceased, and all of his other children. His will was written 23 Sep 1743 and recorded 6 Nov 1753.^[10][11][2]

Death

Mercy died sometime after the writing of her husband's will. No additional probate records for her have been found.^[2]

Children

Thomas and Mercy (Knowles) Rich had the following (12) children born at Eastham:^[12][2]

1. Thomas, born 22 December 1702; married Thankful Mayo at Eastham, 7 Oct 1725.
2. Mercy, born 8 August 1704; married George Shaw (intention recorded at Eastham, 22 Aug 1724).
3. James, born 10 January 1705/6.
4. Joseph, born 1 January 1707/8.
5. David, born 17 March 1710; married Hannah Brown at Eastham, 6 Dec 1734.
6. Sarah, born 1 September 1712; married Jonathan Shaw at Eastham, 5 Oct 1731.
7. John, born 14 September 1714; married Lydia Young at Eastham, 13 Oct 1737. They removed from Provincetown to Middle Haddam, Conn.
8. Thankful, born 14 October 1716; married Alexander Martin at Orleans, 2 Jan 1745/46; married John Harding, Jr., 26 Jun 1765.
9. Samuel, born about 14 May 171[torn]; married Elizabeth Harding, 14 Mar 1734.
10. Cornelius, born about 1720; married Rhoda Fish.
11. Rebecca, born about 1721.
12. Ruth, born about 1722; married Daniel Higgins and William Taylor.

Sources

1. ↑ Mayflower Descendant, Vol. VI, No. 4. Boston: Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Society (Oct 1904), pp. 204-205. "Transcripts of birth, death and marriage records at Eastham and Orleans, Massachusetts from 1651-1754." google books link
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7} Merrick, Barbara Lambert. Mayflower Families in Progress William Brewster of the Mayflower And the Fifth Generation Descendants of his daughter Patience. (General Society of Mayflower Descendants 2001.) pp 78, 79 Link at AmericanAncestors ($)
3. ↑ Libby, Charles Thornton. "The Knowles Family of Eastham, Mass." in New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 79 (Jul 1925), p. 296.
4. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch link, Thomas Rich and Mercy Knowles, 23 Jul 1702; citing Marriage, Orleans, Barnstable, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007010725.
5. ↑ Births, marriages, deaths, 1649-ca.1840; intentions of marriage, 1700-ca.1905, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L979-9XWX  : 30 September 2022), FHL microfilm 007009735, image 134, Eastham, Massachusetts, Volume 2, Births, & Deaths, 1654-1797, Page 69.
6. ↑ Roser, Susan E. Mayflower Deeds & Probates From the Files of George Ernest Bowman at the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants. Genealogical Publishing Company (1994), p. 125. Abstract of the will of Samuel Knowles, yeoman, of Eastham, MA, written 1 Jun 1732, recorded 7 Jul 1737. Link
7. ↑ Barnstable County Probate Vol 5 pp 295, 296
8. ↑ Roser, Susan E. Mayflower Deeds & Probates From the Files of George Ernest Bowman at the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants. Genealogical Publishing Company (1994), p. 125. Abstract of the will of Mercy Knowles, widow, of Eastham, MA, written 5 Sep 1739, recorded 17 Apr 1745. link
9. ↑ Barnstable County Probate m Vol 8 pp 87-89
10. ↑ Hill, Edwin A. "The Rich Family of Eastern Connecticut" in New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 51. New York: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society (Jul 1920), p. 222, citing "Vol. 9, p. 73, of Barnstable Co., Mass., Probate Records."
11. ↑ Barnstable County Probate vol 9 73-75, 77, 76
12. ↑ Libby, Charles Thornton. "The Knowles Family of Eastham, Mass." in New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 79 (Jul 1925), p. 296-297. google books link

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