Comfort Starr (bef. 1589 - 1660)

Born before 6 Jul 1589 in Cranbrook, Kent, England

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Watts) Starr — married 4 Oct 1614 in Northiam, Sussex, England

Descendants

Died 2 Jan 1660 after age 70 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts

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

Comfort Starr migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Great Migration (Series 2), by R. C. Anderson, vol. 6, p. 487) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

"Comffort Star" was baptised at Cranbrook, Kent, on July 6, 1589; the church register entry does not record the name of his father or mother.^[1][2]

Comfort was a surgeon and he married Elizabeth Watts, at Northiam, Sussex, England. Elizabeth and Comfort had ten children, the first nine of whom were baptized in Ashford.^[3] Anderson cites the "Northiam, Sussex, Bishop's Transcripts" (FHL Film #2186712) for Elizabeth's last name at the time of their marriage.

He died in Boston on January 2, 1659/60. ^{[4] [5]}

There is a memorial to Dr. Comfort Starr at the Kings Chapel Burying Ground in Boston.

His son, Rev. Comfort Starr, was graduated from Harvard College in 1647 and is listed as one of the first five Fellows of Harvard in the Harvard Charter of 1650.^[6]

Marriage

Comfort Starr married Elizabeth Watts 4 Oct 1614 in Northam, Sussex, England.^[7]

Will

Comfort Starr's will was signed on April 22, 1658/59 and the inventory states that he died on January 2, 1659.^[8] In the Will, he mentioned:

sons Comfort, John, Thomas (deceased)

daughters Maynard (deceased), Elizabeth Ferniside, Hannah

the four youngest [children} of Thomas

grandson Symon Eyre

brothers-in-law John Morley and Faithfull Rouse

daughter-in-law, wife of late son Thomas

Comfort Starr. — 22 Aprill 1659. Will. My body to be burryed within y^e vsuall place of buriall in Boston, so neere my late wife as may be possible with conveniency. I giue vnto Samuell Starre, my large book of Martyrs, with y^e frame belonging therevnto ; vnto Euery one of my Grand Children, 12d apiece, in English money ; vnto y^e fiue dau", of my dau. Maynard (deceased) £10. apiece, to be payd to either of them, as they come to y^e age of 16 yeare ; vnto my sonne Thomas Starre, (deceased) his children, £10 apiece, to be payd vnto each as they either of them come vnto 18 yeares of age; vnto my sonne Thomas, his fower youngest, one Mare to be disposed & equally devided at y^e discretion of my Supervisors; if they thinke meete, y^e Mare to be sold, then, my will is, either of them Children should have one quarter pt of what said Mare is sold for ; vnto my grand Child, Symon Eire, £6. p. Annu to be payd him yearely, vntill he come unto y^e age of 18 yeares ; it being so giuen by me vnto him for y^e Advancemen^t helpe & furthering him in Learneing. For y^e assurance of y^e due paym^t of y^e said £6. yearely, I Engage my now dwelling house, That he, or his Guardian, or those who have y^e oversight of him, shall and may lawfully enter into y^e said house, and distreine for euery defect so much as shall satisfy y^e said sume y^t is not payd, & y^e charge or charges y^e ariseth by reason of such distresse for y^e non paym^t of y^e said £6. yearely, y^e overplus to be returned. My minde & will is, That if y^e said Symon Eire desist goeing forward in Learneing, y^t is y^t he doe not goe vnto some Gramar Schoole & to some Academia, or to be with some godly Minister whereby he may be instructed in y^e Toungs, Arts & Sciences, then y^e said Annuall paym^t of y^e said £6. shall cease. My minde is, y^t y^e said Symon Eire should enjoy his house & land y^r vnto belonging w^ch apptaineth vnto him, of right, by inheritance, And also, y^t my Executo^r shall pay vnto him y^t w^ch I am Engaged vnto him by y^e Hono^red Court, y^t is, about £60, w dl is as much as I haue receiued of his, by my Administring of his moveable goods after y^e death of his p^rents. My sonne John to be my Executo^r. The rest of my Estate in New England I giue to my sonne John Starr, and vnto my dau. Elizabeth Ferniside, equally to be devide betweene them ; then, y^t my sonne John shall devide his share into three pts ; one third of it shal be given vnto his Children, vnto Euery one a equall share, [The portion of Elizabeth to be divided in the same manner.] If my dau. Hannah Starr come into New England, my mind is, y^t [she] shall haue my siluer guilt double salt Celler. I giue vnto my dau. Hannah Starr, all my debts du e vnto me in old England. I giue vnto said Hannah, £50 sterling to be payd vnto her, out of y^e Rent, as it ariseth of my house & land,w^ch I haue in Eshitisford, in Kent, in old England. I giue vnto my sonne, Comfort Starr, my before mentioned house & land in Eshitisford, pvided my said dau. Hannah be payd y^e aforesaid £50 ; And also provided, y^t my sonne Comfort Cause to be payd at Boston, for y^e vse of my Grand Children, for my Executo^r , to distribute to Euery one of my Grand-Children in good Kersy & Peniston & Cotton to y^e worth of 40s. a pecce, to be payd within 4 yeares after my decease. Vnto my dau. Elizabeth, all my Right of y^t Land wherevpon her now dwelling house is built, & also y^e Land adjoyneing, from y^e high way before theire house, downe backward, vnto y^e mill pond. I appointe my beloved Broth^rs in Law, Mr John Morley & Faithfull Rouse my Supervisors, vnto either of ^ch I will, 20s. a peece. I giue vn to my dau-in-law y^e late wife of my sonne Thomas Starr, one siluer bossed wine Cupp. It is my minde (in regard of y^e scarcitie of money in this Countrey) y^t my Executo^r shall pay my Legacies, if he Can Conveniently, with shop pay, but if he Cannot so suite or fitt them, then he shall pay them in such Comodities as this Countrey brings forth, except such legacies y^t is Expressed to be payd in money or siluer. Comfort Starr.

"in y^e p^rnce of Christopher Gibson, John Collins, Rich^d Taylor, William Read.

2 Feb. 1659, ^d Taylor, & W^m Read deposed."

Children

From Anderson Great Migration^[9]

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

Sources

1. ↑ Cranbrook baptisms 1559-1812 copyright Kent Family History Society on Find My Past
2. ↑ Kent, England, Tyler Index to Parish Registers, 1538-1874 Ancestry.com. [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors. Original data: Frank Watt Tyler. The Tyler Collection. Canterbury, Kent, England: The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies. Page 40
3. ↑ Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VI, R-S (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009) 487-494 (Comfort Starr), at 491-492; digital images by subscription, AmericanAncestors.
4. ↑ 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) P. 71
5. ↑ The New England historical and genealogical register. Vol. 18. Albany, NY: New England Historic Genealogical Society, by J. Munsell, 1864. Internet Archive NEHGR (April 1864) 18:169
6. ↑ https://guides.library.harvard.edu/c.php?g=880222&p=6323072
7. ↑ Citing "Northiam, Sussex, Bishop's Transcripts" (FSL film #2186712), Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VI, R-S (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009) 487-494 (Comfort Starr), at 491; digital images by subscription, AmericanAncestors.
8. ↑ The New England historical and genealogical register. Vol. 9. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, by Samuel G. Drake, 1855. Internet Archive NEHGR (July 1855) 9:223-224 Abstracts from the Earliest Wills on Record in the County of Suffolk Mass. Prepared by Wm. B. Trask.
9. ↑ The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VI, R-S, by Robert Charles Anderson. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.<Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VI, R-S (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009) 487-494 (Comfort Starr), at 491-492; digital images by subscription, AmericanAncestors.

• Starr, Burgis. A History of the Starr Family of New England (The Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co., Hartford, Conn., 1879) Page 1.
• Ballou, Hosea Starr. Dr. Comfort Starr, and Cranbrook, Kent, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1910) Vol. 64, Page 73-4.