Robert Latham (abt. 1623 - bef. 1688)

Born about 1623 in England [uncertain]

Husband of Susanna (Winslow) Latham — married 1649 in Plymouth Colony

Descendants

Died before 1688 before about age 65 in Bridgewater, Plymouth, Plymouth Colony

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Biography

Unknown Parentage

The ancestry of Robert Latham is in question. There is no documentary evidence of his ancestry. He appears to have been born too early to be the son of William Latham, who came to America on the Mayflower. And the Mayflower William supposedly returned to England, then went to the Caribbean and died without issue.

As no other reasonable possibility has been forwarded, Robert is shown here without parents. Please do not add them. If you have information about the ancestry of Robert, please contact a Profile Manager or contact a member of the Puritan Great Migration Project.

Married in 1649 no children who survived. ^[1]

x Child Winslow 1649 1649

x Unknown Winslow 1651 - 1651

Life

Robert Latham and Susannah Winslow were married about 1649 in Plymouth Colony, although no record has been found for their marriage. This estimate is based on the fact that their eldest child was born on June 2, 1650. ^{[2] [3]}

Robert was Constable at Marshfield 1643, at Cambridge two years in the Rev. Thomas Shepard's family, took the oath of fidelity as a freeman in Marshfield in 1657, settled at East Bridgewater before 1667. ^[3]

In 1665, Robert and Susanna moved to Satucket (the Bridgewater area), where Susannah died sometime between 1676 and 1683. The records show that Robert was fined 10 shillings on June 3, 1679, for being drunk twice. ^[4]

Robert died in Bridgewater in 1688.^[5] He is buried in the Old Graveyard, East Bridegewater. You can read more about him and see a gravestone erected in 1818 at Find A Grave: Memorial #39774013 ^[6]. He died after a deed written 14 Nov 1685 and before 28 Feb 1688/9.^[7]

Cruelty Trial

Robert Latham and his wife Susannah were accused of felonious cruelty in the death of their servant, John Walker, in 1654. Here is the report of the Court proceedings against John. The description of John's injuries is pretty gruesome. ^[8]

Inquest

"Wee, whose names are vnderwritten, being appointed a jury by Mr John Alden to view the dead body of John Walker, seruant to Robert Latham, of this towne, and to find the cause how hee came to his vntimely end,

"Wee, vpon due serch and examination, doe find that the body of John Walker was blackish and blew, and the skine broken in diuers places from the middle to the haire of his head, viz, all his backe with stripes giuen him by his master, Robert Latham, as Robert himselfe did testify; and alsoe wee found a bruise of his left arme, and one of his left hipp, and one great bruise of his brest; and there was the knuckles of one hand and one of his fingers frozen, and alsoe both his heeles frozen, and one of the heeles the flesh was much broken, and alsoe one of his little toes frozen and very much perished, and one of his great toes frozen, and alsoe the side of his foot frozen; and alsoe, vpon the reviewing the body, wee found three gaules like holes in the hames, which wee formerly, the body being frozen, thought they had been holes; and alsoe wee find that the said John was forced to carry a logg which was beyond his strength, which hee indeauoring to doe, the logg fell vpon him, and hee, being downe, had a stripe or two, as Josepth Beedle doth testify; and wee find that it was some few daies before his death; and wee find, by the testimony of John Howland and John Adams, that heard Robert Latham say that hee gaue John Walker soin stripes that morning before his death; and alsoe wee find the flesh much broken of the knees of John Walker, and that hee did want sufficient food and cloathing and lodging, and that the said John did constantly wett his bedd and his cloathes, lying in them, and soe suffered by it, his clothes being frozen about him; and that the said John was put forth in the extremity of cold, though thuse vnabled by lamenes and sorenes to pforme what was required; and therfore in respect of creweltv and hard vsuage hee died; and alsoe, vpon the 2cond review, the dead corpes did bleed att the nose.

[The Names of the Jurors are listed.]

Trial

"ROBERT LATHAM was indited for fellonious crewelty done vnto John Walker, his servant, aged about 14 yeares, by vnreasonable correction, by withholding nessesary food and clothing, and by exposing his said servant to extremitie of seasons, wherof the said John Walker languished and imeadiately died, the 15 day of January, anno 1654.

"The said Robert Latham put himselfe vpon tryall, according to law.

"The grand jury found the bill of inditment a true bill. Whervpon a pettye jury was impannelld and sent forth vpon the case; theire names are as followeth: —

[the names of the jurors were listed here]

"These found the said Robert Latham guilty of manslaughter by chaunc medley.

Sentence

"Whervpon the prisoner desired the benifitt of law, viz^, a psalue of mercye, which was graunted him; and sentance was fiuther pronownsed against him, which was, that the said Robert Latham should bee burned in the hand, and his haueing noe lands, that all his goods are confiscate vnto his highnes the Lord Protector; and that the said sentance should bee forthwith executed; which accordingly was pformed the 4"" of March, 1654."^{[9] [10]}

Robert and Susannah's children

Children: ^[3]

• Mercy Latham, June 2, 1650^[11] – 1707, m Isaac Harris
• Hannah Latham, 1653 – 1725, m Joseph Washburn, Jr
• Mary Latham, 1654 –
• Susannah Latham, 1656 –
• James Latham, 1659 –, d befpre 1830. m Deliverance
• Joseph Latham, 1663 –, m Phebe
• Elizabeth Latham, 1665 –, m Francis Cook 1687
• Sarah, m John Howard Jr.
• Chilton Latham, 1672 –, d 1751 age 80, m Susanna Kingman 1699

Sources

1. ↑ MyHeritage
2. ↑ The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England : 1620-1633, Page 2029
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} History of the Early Settlement of Bridgewater, in Plymouth County, Massachusetts: Page 222 #1 Robert Latham
4. ↑ Records of the colony of New Plymouth, in New England: Vol 8 MIscellaneous Court Records, Page 152 Robert Latham Mar 1668
5. ↑ East Bridgewater Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850: Page 369 Robert Latham, d 1688 not seen on page
6. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 14 September 2020), memorial page for Robert Latham (1623–1688), Find A Grave: Memorial #39774013, citing Old Graveyard, East Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by Chip5610 (contributor 46997557) .
7. ↑ Roser, Susan E. "Mayflower Births and Deaths." Vol 1,& 2 Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., Vol 1. p. 303. It cites Pilgrim Notes and Queries 1:10 for the Feb date.
8. ↑ Records of the colony of New Plymouth, in New England: Vol 3 Court Orders 1651-1661, Page 71-72 Robert Latham Jan 1654
9. ↑ Records of the colony of New Plymouth, in New England: Vol 3 Court Orders 1651-1661, Page 73 Robert Latham Jan 1654
10. ↑ The Pioneers of Massachusetts: Page 279 Latham, Robert Marshfield, propr 1650, punished for causing the death of his servant, John Walker in Jan 1654-5.
11. ↑ Vital Records of Plymouth Massachusetts to the Year 1850 Page 658

• Shurtleff, Nathaniel Bradstreet; Pulsifer, David New Plymouth Colony; Records of the colony of New Plymouth, in New England (New York : AMS Press, 1855) Vol. III Court Orders 1651-1661 https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0304newp/page/n85/mode/2up
• Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633 (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, 1995)

• East Bridgewater, Henry Edwards Scott. Massachusetts VR to 1850 ed. Vital Records of East Bridgewater Massachusetts to the Year 1850. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society at the charge of the Eddy town-record fund, 1917). https://archive.org/stream/vitalrecordsofea01east#page/n5/mode/2up

• Lee D. vanAntwerp, compiler; Ruth Wilder Sherman, editor. Vital Records of Plymouth Massachusetts to the Year 1850. (Camden, ME: Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Picton Pres, 1993). Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2010

• Mitchell, Nahum. History of the Early Settlement of Bridgewater, in Plymouth County, Massachusetts (Kidder & Wright, Boston, 1840) https://archive.org/details/historyofearlyse00mitc/page/222/mode/2up Page 222

• Pope, Charles Henry. The Pioneers of Massachusetts (Boston, Mass., 1900) https://archive.org/stream/pioneersofmassac00pope#page/278/mode/2up

• Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, Vol 2, p 5-20, Vol. 15 Chilton/More 1997 p. 11, 12

• Mayflower Increasings Through Three Generations by Susan E. Roser

(Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1989) p. 41-42

See Also:

• Lin Grant-family records
• https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-1/myheritage-family-trees?s=216760841&itemId=321743911-1-506637&action=showRecord

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Julie Baldwin for creating WikiTree profile Latham-613 through the import of Jhoward.ged on May 31, 2013.