Mary (Royce) Lewis (1675)

Born 12 Aug 1675 in Wallingford, New Haven Co., Connecticut, New England

Ancestors

Wife of Samuel Lewis — married before 1701 (to 28 Nov 1725) in Farmington, Hartford, Connecticut Colony

Descendants

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Bill Pease [send private message]

• It is believed that Mary, born 12 Aug 1675 in Wallingford, Connecticut, was the 5th of Nehamiah Royce & Hannah Morgan's nine children.^[1][2]
• Before 1701, Mary m. Samuel Lewis in Farmington, Connecticut^[3] This source is from Connecticut town records and except for the date, it is definitive: Samuel m. Mary after 1701 in Farmington.

- According to a similar record on the same page... this may be her husband's 2nd marriage. Or, there is another Samuel Lewis living in Hartford County, Connecticut.

• Mary is named in her father's 14 Apr 1704 Last Will & Testament,^[4] in which he names his wife, sons: Joseph & Nehamiah, a grandson and his father, and three of his daughters: Mary, Esther & Lydia. It is unfortunate that he did not list his loving wife by name, or the married names of his daughters.
• Husband Samuel died 28 Nov 1725.
• 7 Mar 1726 - administration of his estate was granted to his widow Mary and eldest son, Samuel.^[5] Administration records mention only Hannah Gridley and sons Samuel, John, Nehemiah, Nathan and Josiah; if there were other children they had probably died by that time. In June 1726, son Samuel asked the court for extra money for serving his father seven years after the age of 21. This this was "resisted" by his mother and (May 1727) not approved by the court.

• children with Samuel:

Samuel Lewis's 1725 Will names wife Mary & his surviving children. But are they all Mary's biological children? Except for the records for his m. to Mary, the source, " New England Marriages Prior to 1700 for Samuel Lewis" for Samuel's other marriage(s) is confusing (see attachment), leaving many tree-searchers to conclude he may have two wives previous to Mary Royce (indeed, some have listed four).

LEWIS, Samuel (?1648- ) & Elizabeth/Hannah? [JUDD?]/[ORTON] (1654- ) b 1688; Farmington, CT.

translation: Samuel Lewis (who may or may not be the Samuel Lewis b. 1648) m. either Elizabeth Judd (but not likely), Elizabeth ORTON, or Hannah JUDD (not likely) or Hannah ORTON before 1688; in Farmington, CT. And all prospective brides were b. 1654.

The WikiTree profile for Samuel has considered this confusion and accepted Elizabeth Orton as Samuel's 1st wife, but selects an unsourced DOD of 1705 for Orton, which would attribute several children with Samuel by her. Another interpretation is that Samuel and Elizabeth married before 1688 and had two children before she died and then... he re-married before 1701. In which case Elizabeth's children w Samuel were Hannah & Samuel Jr , b. 1691 & 92 (presuming Elizabeth died after complications delivering Samuel Jr). it was a few years following Samuel & Mary's (before 1701) marriage that they had their 1st child.

- John (1703- )

- Nehemiah (1705-1799) m. Jerusha Gridley

- Nathan (1706-1799) m. Mary H Gridley

- Josiah (1709-1793) m. Phebe Gridley

Sources

1. ↑ birth (Neimiah's dau) "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP74-Q3GX : 15 April 2022), Mary Roice, ; citing Birth, Wallingford, New Haven, Connecticut, United States, Compiled by Lucius A. and Lucius B. Barbour, housed at State Library, Hartford, Connecticut; FHL microfilm 008272243
2. ↑ "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7W2-5V4 : 7 January 2020), Mary Roice, 1675
3. ↑ marriage "U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700 for Mary Lewis" in Torry, Clarence A. New England Marriages Prior to 1700 by Genealogical Publishing Co.; Baltimore, MD, USA; via Ancestry.com. [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2012 Ancestry link to digitized image
4. ↑ Mary's father's Will Probate Records, Vol 3-4, 1703-1719; Connecticut. Probate Court (New Haven District); Probate Place: New Haven, Connecticut; Ancestry.com. Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015 - pg 59 of 502 Ancestry link to digitized image
5. ↑ "Hartford, Connecticut Probate Records, 1700-1729 for Samuel Lewis" from A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records, Hartford District, 1700-1729. Vol. II. n.p., 1906 ; Ancestry.com. Hartford, Connecticut Probate Records, 1700-1729 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000 no digitized images

• The Royce family in America by Alvin Lee Rhods - May 2005 Edition. Added by Quall-1
• "Births, Marriages, and Deaths: Winsor, Hartford and Fairfield, Winsor, Hartford & Fairfield, CT: 1631-1691 link to internet book