Elizabeth (Watts) Starr (abt. 1595 - 1658)

Born about 1595 in England

Wife of Comfort Starr — married 4 Oct 1614 in Northiam, Sussex, England

Descendants

Died 25 Jun 1658 at about age 63 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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

Elizabeth (Watts) Starr migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Name

Name: Elizabeth Watts

Her maiden name is known from her marriage record. She was not Elizabeth Mitchell as is sometimes supposed. See the errors section for more details.

Birth

Birth: Elizabeth Watts was born about 1595. Her age at death in 1658 was stated as 63.^[1]

Marriage

Marriage: Elizabeth Watts married Comfort Starr on 4 October 1614 in Northiam, Sussex, England. ^[2]

Immigration

Comfort Starre of Ashford, Kent, chirurgeon, and children, Thomas, Comfort and Mary were enrolled 21 Mar 1634/5 at Sandwich to sail for New England on the Hercules.^[3] His wife and the younger children were not listed, but if they stayed behind at the time, they would have followed shortly. They settled first in Cambridge, Massachusetts, then moved to Duxbury in Plymouth Colony about 1638 and Boston, Massachusetts by 1646.^[2]

Children

Children of Comfort Starr and Elizabeth Watts: ^[2]

• Thomas Starr, bp. Ashford, Kent, England, 31 Dec 1615; m. Rachel about 1640. He died before 22 Jan 1662 (Rachel's remarriage).
• Judith Starr, bp. Ashford 11 Jan 1617/8; bur. there 25 Aug 1622.
• Mary Starr, bp. Ashford 16 April 1620; m. John Maynard 1640.
• Elizabeth Starr, bp Ashford 3 June 1622; m. John Ferniside by July 1642.
• Comfort Starr, bp. Ashford 11 April 1624; m. (1) Grace, (2)Anne (Finch) Hoskins.
• John Starr, bp. Ashford 15 Oct 1626; m. by about 1652 Martha Bunker.
• Samuel Starr, bp Ashford 1 March 1628/9; bur. the 16 April 1633.
• Hannah Starr, bp. Ashford 22 July 1632; m. 30 July 1662 John Cutt.
• Lydia Starr, bp. Ashford 22 March 1634/5 m. by 1652 Simon Eyre.
• Ruth Starr, b. say 1637; m. 21 May 1656 Joseph Moore.

Death

Died:

"Elisabeth wife of Comfort Starr died June 25th aged 63." at Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts.^[1] Comfort's 1659 will requested that he "be buried within the usual place of burial at Boston so near my late wife as may be possible with conveniency"

Elizabeth is mentioned on a memorial in King's Chapel Burying Ground, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States that was erected by descendants in 1905, with the inscription:^[4]

Elizabeth

His Wife

Died at Boston June 25 1658,

Aged 63 years

Common Errors to Avoid

Incorrect LNAB: Although some say that Elizabeth is the daughter of Thomas Mitchell and Susannah Moore, there appears to be no evidence or source for this supposition, and the identity of her parents is not known.

The original error derives from the fact that Comfort Starr signed a surety bond for the marriage of a Lydia Mitchell of Ashford. An assumption was made that he must somehow be related to her and so another assumption was made that his wife Elizabeth might a Mitchell. The article states no evidence of this was found. However, this has found its way into online trees. Obviously, with the marriage record of Comfort Starr found, it should be considered disproven.

With the discovery of the marriage record of Comfort Starr to Elizabeth Watts, this theory can be considered be considered definitively disproven. Anderson published her marriage to Comfort Starr; the records indicate her last name when she married him was Watts.^[2]

Find a Grave incorrectly lists her name as "Elizabeth Veritas Mitchell Starr". ^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Boston. A Report of the Record Commissioners Containing Boston Births, Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths, 1630-1699. (Boston: Rockwell and Churchill, 1883; Boston: Municipal Printing Office, 1908):66. Archive.org LINK Books.Google.com HathiTrust.org LINK
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VI, R-S. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009):491, citing "Northiam, Sussex, Bishop's Transcript (FHL Film #2186712).
3. ↑ "Two Early Passenger Lists." New England Historical and Genealogical Register 75: 220 (1921)
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Memorial: "Find a Grave", database with images, Find A Grave: Memorial #29454406 (accessed 6 November 2023), Memorial page for Elizabeth Veritas Mitchell Starr (17 Mar 1595-25 Jun 1658), citing King's Chapel Burying Ground, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Sandra Eaton (contributor 47680743). FindaGrave incorrectly lists her name as "Elizabeth Veritas Mitchell Starr". Parent links are not sourced.

See also:

• NEHGR vol. 95 no. 4 (October 1941):386. Dr. Thomas Starr, Surgeon in the Pequot War, and his Family Connections, by Hosea Starr Ballou.
• Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VI, R-S. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009):491, citing "Northiam, Sussex, Bishop's Transcript (FHL Film #2186712).