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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:
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.
"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. |
"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]
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]
See also
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Francis is 21 degrees from Herbert Adair, 20 degrees from Richard Adams, 14 degrees from Mel Blanc, 22 degrees from Dick Bruna, 20 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 30 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 18 degrees from Sam Edwards, 16 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 20 degrees from Marty Krofft, 14 degrees from Junius Matthews, 13 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 18 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.