What records exist for the parents of Katherine Reynolds (m Edward Starbuck)

+5 votes
245 views

Is there any solid evidence that Katherine Reynolds, wife of Edward Starbuck, was the daughter of William Reynolds and Esther Ruth (to whom she is attached)?  The Reynolds Family Association discusses it on their site, but the only mention of a father (since even the name Reynolds is unproven) is in a 1963 book, "Our Family's Starbuck Ancestry", that says Katherine was the daughter of Robert Reynolds and the family was from Wales.

I am also wondering what, if any, sources are available for her date of death as shown.

WikiTree profile: Katherine Starbuck
in Genealogy Help by Darlene Athey-Hill G2G6 Pilot (540k points)

2 Answers

+3 votes

As to the parents:

James Carlton Starbuck, Starbucks All (1984), page 117, identifies her parents as "Robert Reynonlds and Esther Ruth (?) (Roth) Reynonds" but provides no sources.

The sources cited on the profile provide no support for the current links, so we really have no evidence at all that William and Esther Ruth were the parents.

As to the date and place of death:

Alexander Starbuck, The History of Nantucket (1924), page 802, says "[t]here seems to be no record regarding [Edward Starbuck's wife, Katharine Reynolds], but as the early records of births, marriages and deaths kept by William Worth seem to be quite complete and her name does not appear in them the presumption is that she died before the family removed to Nantucket." Also, "[t]he probabilities are that she died in Dover."

New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 8, p. 68, says that Edward Starbuck's wife "Katharine went with him" when he settled on Nantucket, but provides no source­.

Nathaniel Philbrick, Away Off Shore (1994, 2011), Chapter 3, says that "there is no evidence, however, that [Edward Starbuck's] wife Katherine ever emigrated to Nantucket."

Again, the sources cited on the profile say nothing on this question. The 2009 founders monument at Nantucket (pictured on the profile) gives her date of death as 1658. While the source for that is unknown, I would be inclined to go with that on the assumption that they did decent research before erecting such a monument and on the reasoning suggested above that she never made it to Nantucket, so she probably died in Dover before her husband left there to settle on Nantucket.

by John Hodson G2G6 Mach 1 (14.7k points)
Thanks, John.  All good data.  I'll create a research section on her biography and include it.

I am inclined to detach her from the parents to which she is currently attached, due to lack of any sources, with a note in the bio.  If others have a source for them, please provide it.  Thanks.
I've updated the research notes. The name William Reynolds as her father may have come from Tillman, ''Christopher Reynolds and His Descendants'' (1959), pages 191, 203. Still no underlying sources that would resolve the matter . . .
Thanks.  Next step is to determine if the other two profiles for Catherine Eunice and Eunice Catherine are duplicates and need merging with this one (or just one another) and if they belong with those parents.  And then I'd say we delete Catherine (m Starbuck) from the parents with a note in the bio.
+3 votes
Katherine's 11 supposed siblings need some looking at too. They are born all over England and Wales, then three in Maine and then back to England for the last two.
by Jo Fitz-Henry G2G6 Pilot (171k points)

Yes, I commented about that on the father's profile yesterday.  wink  Most don't have sources.  

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