Clement Briggs land holdings & children

Question

I am attempting to update the profile for Clement Briggs Sr and his children, generally from Weymouth, a PGM profile.

One item needing correction or source is his 2nd wife Elizabeth Field.  Anderson says this wife's maiden name is unknown yet someone has assigned her to clement Sr.

There is a record of an Elizabeth Feild (sic) of Bridgewater marrying a Clement Brigs (sic) of N. Purchase (a part of N. Taunton bordering Bridgewater) on 3 Nov. 1697.  This may be the younger Clement Briggs Jr. as his father was already dead.  http://ma-vitalrecords.org/MA/Plymouth/Bridgewater/Images/Bridgewater_M063.shtml

Further proof  of this relies on a statement in Edna A. Hannibal's book Clement Briggs of Plymouth & His Descendants.  https://books.google.com/books?id=7TH062rPP2MC&pg=PA252&lpg#v=onepage&q&f=false

She gives reference to Remember Briggs being granted 12 acres of swamp land near Bridgewater (the North Purchase?) on 29 Oct 1668 on behalf of himself and the other children of Clement Sr. with a citation of PCR 5:5.

My question here is how accurate have the writings been of this author?  Are the sources good enough to use?  What has been the experience of other genealogists in using her work?

I do believe that Elizabeth (wife of Clement Sr)needs to be changed to an UNKNOWN  LNAB and Fields maybe as wife to Clement Jr.

Answer 1

David,

The link you provided doesn't go to Hannibal's book but to Stratton's history of Plymouth.

In general I judge the quality of any author's work by the extent to which they cite their sources. Can I find and confirm those sources?

PCR is Plymouth Colony Records. Volume 5, page 5 can be found here:

https://archive.org/stream/recordsofcolonyo05newp#page/5/mode/1up

And indeed it includes the information about the land transaction from Clement to his children.

It does not shine any light on the spouse of Clement but does indicate that Clement was deceased.

Comments

Thank you Jillaine!  That link to PCR certainly helps me.

You're right that it doesn't shine any light on the spouse of either Clement but does point to the younger man.

I have spent most yesterday trying to ascertain where someone came up with Elizabeth FIELD as 2nd wife of Clement Sr. and cannot find any document or record.  I am well inclined to create an Elizabeth UNKNOWN to replace this 2nd wife.

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Before you create yet another Unknown profile (please don't use all caps), check the Recycled Unknowns category for an existing profile to recycle.

 

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Already done, Jilliane.  You helped me last time so I went there and re-used another unknown.

thanks

Answer 2

Since there would appear to be no definitive sourcing on the maiden name of Clement's second wife Elizabeth, I would endorse removing Elizabeth Field/Feild as the wife of Clement Briggs b. ca. 1600 and changing her to Elizabeth UNKNOWN.

I also note that with regards to the 3 Nov 1697 marriage of Elizabeth Field, Clement Briggs Jr. had already passed away if the death date on Briggs-673 is accurate.

I further note that Clement Sr.'s second wife Elizabeth mentions in her will a 'grandchild Clement Briggs', and in a later codicil dated 11 Nov 1685 a 'grandson Clement Briggs' (Anderson, GMB, Vol 1, pg. 236).

I believe it is this grandson who married Elizabeth Field in 1697, although said grandson is not represented by any profile at WikiTree.

Comments

Thanks Bryan,

I hadn't noticed the grandson but that certainly makes sense.  I'll do more research for the grandson.  I am changing Elizabeth to an Unknown LNAB.