Joane (Unknown) Elwell (abt. 1615 - 1675)

Born about 1615 in Stoke Abbott, Dorset, England [uncertain]

Wife of Robert Elwell — married before 1634 in England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 31 Mar 1675 at about age 60 in Gloucester, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Joane (Unknown) Elwell migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Joane ___ was the first wife of Robert Elwell and the mother of all of his children.^[1][2] Her date of birth and parents are unknown.

It is likely that Joan emigrated to America with her husband. Robert Elwell is listed among the "[p]lanters carrying with them household goods, clothing and provisions for themselves, their wives, children and servants" who were allowed to pass free of custom on 31 March 1633, to be shipped on the Recovery of London, Mr. Gabriel Cornish Master, from Weymouth to New England.^[3] Anderson gives an arrival of 1634, based on Robert's appearance in the records of Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, beginning in September of that year.^[1]

Robert Elwell appears as a resident of Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay, by 1 Sep 1634 as town records include this item: "It is ordered that the lot which was granted formerly to John Rocket shall be transferred to Robert Elwell".^[1][2]

The date and place of Joane and Robert's marriage are also unknown, but it is thought that they were married in England and had their first child, Mary, before emigrating to America. Robert and Joan had the following children:^[1][2][4][5]

1. Mary, b. abt. 1634, m1. at Gloucester 15 Aug 1654 Samuel Dollivar; m2. as Mary Dolever, widow, James Gardner 16 Dec 1684 in Gloucester;
2. Samuel, b. abt. 1635, prob. bp. 28 Aug 1639 in Salem, m. in Gloucester 7 Jun 1658 Esther Dutch, dau of Osmond Dutch;
3. Josiah, b. abt 1638; prob. bp. 28 Aug 1639 in Salem and is probably the "second child" named in Elwell bio (and not b. 1644); m. in Gloucester 15 Jun 1666 Mary Collins, dau of John Jr.; she m2. John Cooke 2 Feb 1679/80;
4. John, bp. in Salem 23 Jan 1639; m. in Salem 1 Oct 1667 Jane Durin;
5. Isaac, bp. in Salem 27 Feb 1641/2; m1. by 1666 Mehitable Millet, dau of Thomas Millett; m2. abt 1700 Mary (Prince) Rowe, dau of Thomas Prince, widow of Hugh Rowe;
6. Joseph, b. abt 1648; m. in Gloucester 22 Jun 1669 Mary Dutch, dau. of Osmond Dutch;
7. Sarah, b. in Gloucester 20 Apr 1651; d. in Gloucester 23 Apr 1651;
8. Sarah, b. in Gloucester 12 May 1652; d. in Gloucester 26 Aug 1655;
9. Thomas, bp. in Salem 22 Apr 1665; m. in Gloucester 23 Nov 1675 Sarah Bassett;
10. Jacob, b. in Gloucester 10 Jun 1657; d. in Gloucester 21 May 1658;
11. Richard, bp. in Salem 11 Apr 1658; no further record.

Joane Elwell died on 31 Mar 1675^[2] in Gloucester, Massachusetts.^[1][5]

Research Notes

Disputed Parents / Origins:

While many online trees claim the name of Robert Elwell's first wife was Joanne Dolliver, there appears no documentation to support the claim. That she was from Stoke Abbott, Dorsetshire is suggested by the following:^[1][6]

In a letter dated 20 April 1648, Tristram Dalliber of Stoke Abbott, Dorset, wrote to John Balch and William Woodbury of Salem and added this postscript:

"There is Robert ellwell wife hath £3 heare in hir sister in lawes hand which her brother gave her at his deth if he be plesed to tacke it there I shall be Content soe as they will send an aquittance sealed up in a leter to me soe as I may have it from them at the next Retorune for they told me that they wold send a leter to me & I should send it over with myne but I never hard more of them."

Tristram was the brother of the Samuel Dolliver who married Mary Elwell, daughter of Robert and Joanne (_____) Elwell.^[1]

This suggests that Joanne might have been from Stoke Abbott because she had brother who died there before 20 April 1648. There is no proof that said brother was a Dolliver. And there are no baptism records for a Joanne Dolliver (var. spellings) in the right time frame for her birth.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} Anderson, Robert Charles. "The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635," Volume II. Boston: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1996-2011. Accessed online at Ancestry.com. Pages 426-431.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Elwell, Rev. Thomas Jacob, comp. "The Elwell Family in America: A Genealogy of Robert Elwell of Dorchester and Gloucester, Massachusetts." (Boston MA: Charles H Pope, 1899). Accessed online at Archive.org or see attached images. Pages 3-7. (NOTE: The first 10 pages (2 generations) of this book were reprinted in NEHGR 53:25-32, Jan 1899).
3. ↑ Peter Wilson Coldham, The Complete Book of Emigrants 1607-1660, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2008 (6th printing)), 107-8; citing Public Record Office, Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1LR, England.
4. ↑ Essex Institute, Vital records of Salem, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849 (Salem, MA: Essex Institute, 1916-1925),Vol. 1, p. 277(6 children).
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Topsfield Historical Society, compiler, Vital Records of Gloucester, Massachusetts to The End Of The Year 1849 (Topsfield, MA: The Topsfield Historical Society, 1917) Vol. 1, pp. 248 (births) Vol. 3, p. 127 (deaths).
6. ↑ The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, NEHGS, 2001-2018.) Vol.31, Page 312 (Jul 1877).

See also:

• Davis, Walter Goodwin. "The Ancestry of Charity Haley, 1755-1800: Wife of Major Nicholas Davis of Limington, Maine." Boston, MA: Stanhope Press, 1916. Accessed online at Archive.org. Pages 69-70.
• Pope, Charles Henry. "The Pioneers of Massachusetts 1620-1650." Ancestry.com. [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2007. Page 155-156.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36882032/joan-elwell: accessed February 14, 2024), memorial page for Joan Elwell (1614–31 Mar 1675), Find A Grave: Memorial #36882032; Burial Details Unknown; Maintained by Linda Mac (contributor 47062703). (Burial unknown.)