no image
Privacy Level: Open (White)

Francis West (abt. 1632 - abt. 1696)

Francis West aka Wast, Waste
Born about in Englandmap [uncertain]
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of — married about 1661 in Duxbury, Plymouth Colony, New Englandmap [uncertain]
Descendants descendants
Died about at about age 64 in Kingstown, Rhode Islandmap
Profile last modified | Created 27 Sep 2010
This page has been accessed 8,295 times.

Contents

Biography

Francis West's parents, birth date/place, death date/place and marriage date and place are unknown. All we can do is make speculative guesses.

Francis married Susannah Soule[1] (~19) (~1642 - >1684) in probably 1661 in Duxbury, Plymouth Colony, New England. Their children were:

  1. Francis West b. Abt 1662, probably Duxbury. Of Kingstown,Washington,RI , died before 13 Oct 1724 (will proved), North Kingstown,Washington,RI.[2]
  2. Richard West b. Abt 1664, probably in Duxbury, Massachusetts died between 12 Jan 1723 and 17 Nov 1727[2] or d. (adm) 13 Nov 1727, Middleborough, Plymouth,MA [citation needed]
  3. Peter West b. about 1666. No further record.[2]
  4. John West The Mayflower Society sets his birth about 1669 commenting there is no further record.[2]
  5. Susannah (West) Barber b about 1673, Kingstown, Washington, Rhode Island; died between 21 Sept 1755 and 4 April 1758.[2]
  6. Martha (West) Fones b. Abt 1677, of Kingstown, Washington,RI , d. 2 Dec 1764, in her 87th year in North Kingstown, Washington, Rhode Island.[2]
  7. William West b. May 31, 1681, in Kingstown, recorded in North Kingstown, Washington, Rhode Island, d. Aft Jul 1742, Charlestown, Washington, Rhode Island (61 years).[2]
  8. Thomas West b. Sep 18, 1684, born Kingstown, recorded in North Kingstown, Washington, Rhode Island; died between 16 Dec 1728 and 10 July 1744 (admin.). [2]
  9. Clement West b. 18 Sep 1684, Kingstown,Washington,RI, recorded in North Kingstown; died after 14 Apr 1747, perhaps about 1749.[2]

29 Oct 1668 Phillip, Sachem of Pocanokett, petitioned the court "for justice against Francis Wast." Phillip complained that Wast had taken a gun and a hog from some of his men. The matter was refered to the selectmen at Taunton, and a report was made at court on 1 June 1669. Francis was to pay 30 shillings for the hog and to return the gun.[3]

The George Soule Mayflower Families in Progress[2] book neglects to mention that a Francis West was made freeman of Duxburrow 29 May 1670[3]. The elder Francis had long since been made freeman. This date is too early for the sons of Francis. Conclusion, this date belongs to Susanna's husband.

Francis and Susannah and family may have left Plymouth Colony about the time of King Philip's War or after the death of her father George Soule about Jan 1678/9. The births of Francis' last three children were recorded in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, in 1681 and twins in 1684.

On 6 September 1687, he is cited on Gov. Andros' tax roll at Rochester (renamed later to Kingstown), Rhode Island owing a “pole” (poll) tax of 1s, and a property tax of 8s 4d, which places him as an adult resident and property landholder in Kingstown, RI on this date. [4] This tax roll identifies a sum total of 136 heads of house living in the roughly 22.5 square mile area associated with Kingstown, RI on this date in 1687; one consequence of this sparse population is that he would have been well acquainted with many, if not all, of the individuals identified on this list. Therefore, this tax list is a defacto definition of the people who were available to be his friends, neighbors, and allies; it would be essential to cultivate strong working relationships with these neighbors in order to survive on this frontier landscape. This cross reference tool provides hot links to peruse most of the 136 Wikitree families identified in this tax roll; families who were very frequently interconnected, or became interconnected, by marriage, over the course of their lives and throughout the ensuing generations, further binding a network of neighbors into extended families. [5] His sons, Francis West junior, and Richard West were also named on this tax roll and levied a 1s poll tax, but were not assessed a tax on personal property (viz, too young to have acquired land). [6]

Francis died about 2 Jan 1696 in Kingstown, Rhode Island.

Research Notes

DNA Test Results

"DNA testing has resolved the question of whether Francis WEST who married Margery REEVES (West Family group 19) is related to the Francis WEST who married Susannah SOULE. The DNA evidence tells us those two men are probably not related, thru the direct paternal line, within a genealogical time period."[7] Francis West and Margery Reeves

"There has been conjecture that Francis WEST was the son of Matthew WEST, and brother of Bartholomew WEST. A DNA test of a descendent of Bartholomew has been completed (W154), and that DNA profile does not match the DNA of the descendants of Francis WEST/Susannah SOULE. Until additional information is found, this group is assuming that Francis was not a son of Matthew WEST."[7] Matthew West

Geographic Information:

1674, Kingstown Rhode Island was founded. In 1686, the name was changed to Rochester, but changed back in three years. 1722, it was divided into North Kingstown and South Kingstown. North Kingstown had the earliest settlers so retained the status of having been founded 1674 and apparently retained the early records. The Wests lived in Kingstown, now called North Kingstown. There were no counties in Rhode Island until 1703.

Descendant's Writing

"Samuel West's Memorandum Book"
"1802 August 23rd

"my great grandfather Francis West Came from Europe to Amarica Soon after the first Settlement at Plymouth and Soon after his arival he married A young Lady By the name of Sole daughter of Mr George Sole (he came with his family to Plymouth in the first Vessel that Came from Europe) by whom he had Seven Sons & 2 daughters

"his Sons names ware Francis Thomas Peter William Richard Clemment & John his daughters names ware Martha & Susanna. martha married a Fones by whoom she had Children. Susann Married a Barber By Whoom She had a number of Sons & daughters"[1]

Speculation

From here we can speculate. His birth was definitely not in America or Rhode Island, but Europe, sometime between say 1630 and 1640. The Mayflower Society uses probably England about 1634. His marriage was around 1661 (based on the estimated births of children about 1662, in Plymouth or Duxbury, both in Plymouth Colony. His death was after the 1687 tax list. It may be 2 Jan 1696 in Kingstown or North Kingstown, Rhode Island, but the Mayflower Society failed to mention the significance of this date.[2]

Sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 George Ernest Bowman, "Susanna Soule's Husband Identified She Married Francis West" The Mayflower Descendant, Vol. XXVI, January 1924, No. 1.
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 George Soule of the Mayflower and his Descendants for Four Generations. Originally compiled by John E. Soule and Milton E. Terry. Revised by Louise Walsh Throop. Mayflower Families in Progress. Seventh Edition. (Plymouth: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2015.)
  3. 3.0 3.1 Shurtleff, Nathaniel (editor). Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England. Court Orders Vol V. 1668-1678 (pp 6, 22, 275). Boston" Press of William White, 1856.
  4. Roberts, Gary Boyd; Genealogies of Rhode Island Families, Vol. II, Niles - Wilson; Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore 1989. RI Taxes under Gov. Andros pages 592- 594.
  5. Randolph Beebe; Cross Reference: Gov. Andros 1687 Rochester RI Tax Register to Wikitree profile; Wikitree Free Space Profiles, 2024.
  6. "Taxes under Gov. Andros," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 35:125 (1881) [FHL #974 B2ne]
  7. 7.0 7.1 West Family DNA Scroll down towards the bottom to West Family Group 19 (Francis & Margery) and West Family Group 20 (Francis and Susannah). The DNA Conclusion in Family 20 which is quoted here. Jan 2021. The link at web.utk.edu that took you to the conclusions stated no longer works. link to familytreedna

See also

  • Dickinson, Flora Knapp. West family of Rhode Island: some descendants from Francis West and Susanna Soule. New York: [publisher not identified], 1944. No eBook available. Located in Library of Congress, Marion J. Kaminkow, Genealogies in the Library of Congress: a bibliography. Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Pub., 2012.

Acknowledgments







Is Francis your ancestor? Please don't go away!
 star icon Login to collaborate or comment, or
 star icon contact private message private message private message a profile manager, or
 star icon ask our community of genealogists a question.
Sponsored Search by Ancestry.com

DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Francis by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Francis:

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.



Comments: 11

Leave a message for others who see this profile.
There are no comments yet.
Login to post a comment.
West-4049 and West-285 appear to represent the same person because: 4049 was listed as son of Matthew, who is disproven parent.
posted by Anne B
"There has been conjecture that Francis WEST was the son of Matthew WEST, and brother of Bartholomew WEST. A DNA test of a descendent of Bartholomew has been completed (W154), and that DNA profile does not match the DNA of the descendents of Francis WEST/Susannah SOULE. Until additional information is found, this group is assuming that Francis was not a son of Matthew WEST."<ref name="DNA"/> Matthew West. I am disconnecting and merging.
posted by Anne B
West-5557 and West-285 appear to represent the same person because: same person married to Susanna Soule
posted by Anne B
Hearing no objections I am going to disconnect Matthew who is proven not to be father of Francis by DNA testing
posted by Anne B
West-4676 and West-285 appear to represent the same person because: birth 1630 to 1640, death the one year caused by double dating off
posted by Anne B
Please see the discussion on Francis' Parents in the G2G.
posted by Anne B
West-4104 and West-285 appear to represent the same person because: Both father of Martha West who married Jeremiah Fones.
posted by Anne B
West-2076 and West-285 appear to represent the same person because: Same data except birth place should be England not Mass
posted by Anne B
According to everything I have seen, Francis West is married to Susanna Soule. Susanna's sister Elizabeth soule was married to Francis Walker. Do you mind if I fix it?
posted by Anne B
Hi. As part of the Mayflower Project, would you all please help straighten out the multiple children on this profile? Thank you very much.
posted by Keith Hathaway

W  >  West  >  Francis West