SOLVED: Who was the wife of John Folsom (Foulsham) Sr. (PGM)?

+5 votes
1.7k views

In completing merges of Mary Gilman-2, discrepancies surfaced concerning her origins and spouses. Two families are fighting for her. 

  1. Claim #1: Mary Gilman, dau of Edward, born/bapt 1615, was the wife of John Folsom-94 (who came over in 1638 on the same ship as Edward's son Edward Gilman); she died in 1691 in NH; this claim appears to be from:
    • Arthur Gilman, The Gilman family traced in the line of Hon. John Gilman, of Exeter, N.H. : with an account of many other Gilmans in England and America. Albany, N.Y.: J. Munsell, 1869. Unfortunately, this publication provides no documentation to support the claim. See Gilman-2 for the evidence supporting that Mary Gilman dau of Edward married 1st Nicholas Jacob, 2nd John Beal.
    • A Genealogy of the Folsom Family (1882; p 17), also without citation. 
       
  2. Claim #2: Mary Gilman, sister of Edward2 (who came in 1638), both children of Edward1 of England; she married (1) Nicholas Jacob and (2) John Beal, then died in 1681 in Hingham, MA. This is supported by Clarence Almon Torrey, "English Origin of Edward1 Gilman" in The American Genealogist, 11 (1934):136 which states: "Proof that Nicholas Jacob's wife was Edward Gilman's sister is found in the Proprietors' Records of Hingham, Mass., Book A., folio 32. Nicholas Jacob, in 1638, gave one of the tracts granted to him by the town 'unto Edward Gillman his brother in law.' Edward Gilman's wife was Mary Clark. Nicholas Jacob's wife was also named Mary. Hence, if we dismiss the very unlikely hypothesis that Mary Clark had a sister who was also named Mary, the wife of Nicolas Jacob must have been Mary Gilman, sister of Edward."
As I read the above, Claim #2 makes the stronger case; Claim #1 has no documentation to back it up. That said, on the topic of Mary-as-wife-of-John-Folsom is a reference to a non-digitized publicationAmes, Constance Le Neve Gilman. 1950. The Story of the Gilmans and a Gilman Genealogy of the Descendants of Edward Gilman of Hingham, England 1550-1950. Yakima, Washington. 190 pp. revised edition was published in 1996.
 
I've requested that the PM of the page about this publication (http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Doc_-_Ames_1950) please extract the quote/citation that supports Claim #1. Does anyone else have this book?
 
What else we know: 
  • Emigration 1638 (listed immediately after Edward Gillman): John Foulsham and is wife [not named] and two servants came from Old Hingham and settled in New Hingham. (from "Daniel Cushing's Record," in NEHGS Register 15 (1861):26
 
 
WikiTree profile: John Folsom
in Policy and Style by Jillaine Smith G2G6 Pilot (896k points)
edited by Jillaine Smith

Claim #1 is also repeated in History of the Town of Hingham MA: The Genealogies, published in 1893. This can be found free online. Folsom's genealogy can be found on page 232. It claims, without citation, that John Folsom married "in Eng. Oct. 4, 1636, Mary, dau. of Edward and Mary (Clark) Gilman." It would be really great to find that 4 Oct 1636 marriage record.

 

 

There is an article on the internet by Rev. N.S. Folsom, D.D. Lawrence, Massachusetts, about the early history of the Folsom (Foulsham) Family  in this country. It can be found at:

http://www.marciesalaskaweb.com/folsom1.htm

"...By Rev. N. S. Folson, D. D., Lawrence, Mass

On the 26th of April, 1638, the ship "Diligent of Ipswich," England, of 350 tons burden, John Martin, master set sail from the mouth of the Thames for Massachusetts bay, having on board nineteen families and six or eight single persons, - in all, one hundred and thirty-three. Twelve of these families, numbering eighty-four souls, were from old Hingham, - the rest from the immediate vicinity; and they had all embarked for the purpose of joining the colony settled in Hingham, Mass, (1633-1637), consisting of ten families and five single person (in all, forty-nine), who had been their friends and neighbors in old Hingham. Among those now emigrating were John Foulsham of Hingham then twenty-three or twenty-four years of age, and his young wife, to whom he had been married about a year and a half. They were attended by two servants. His wife's father and mother (Edward and Mary Clark Gilman, of Hingham), three younger brothers (Edward, not quite twenty-one years old, John and Moses) two younger sisters, (Sarah and Lydia who married Daniel Cushing, - 1645...Edward Gilman had with others obtained a grant of land eight miles square in a place now called Rehoboth, near the Rhode Island line, in 1641, In 1647 his name is recorded in Ipswich. Soon afterward, he went to Exeter, NH, where his sons were already established in business. John Folsom and wife, with their children, followed her father and mother to Exeter, probably no earlier than 1650, the first authentic record of their residence in that town being in the year 1655..."

4 Answers

+4 votes
Note information on the passengers of the Diligent are shown toward the end of this article. 
 
Fourth Generation 
 
16. Edward GILMAN, "The Emigrant" (Edward, Edward, Edward) was born about 1587 in , Hingham, Norfolk, England. He was christened on 20 Apr 1587 in Of, Hingham, Norfolk, England. He died on 22 Jun 1655 in , Exeter, Rockingham, New Hampshire. He was buried on 10 Apr 1681 in , Exeter, Rockingham, New Hampshire. ***
 
Edward married Mary CLARK daughter of John CLARK and Elizabeth on 3 Jun 1614 in Hingham, Norfolk, England. Mary was born in 1585/1600 in , Hingham, Norfolk, England. She died on 22 Jun 1655  in , Hingham, Suffolk, Massachusetts. ***
 
Edward "The Emigrant" came with Mary and his sons, John, Moses and Edward and two daughers, Lydia and Sara,  to Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1647. They left Gravesend on 26 Apr 1638 and sailed in June on the ship, "Dilligent" from Suffolk, England to Boston, Massachusetts, arriving on 10 Aug 1638. There were about one hundred passengers on board, most from Hingham, Norfolk destined for Hingham, Massachusetts. 
 
They had the following children: 
 
25 F i. Mary GILMAN was born on 6 Aug 1615 in Of, Hingham, Norfolk, England. She was christened on 6 Aug 1615 in , Hingham, Norfolk, England. She died on 15 Jun 1681 in , Hingham, Suffolk, Massachusetts.
 
Mary married (1) Nicholas JACOB in 1629 in Hingham, Norfolk, England. 
 
Mary married (2) John FOULSHAM (FOLSOM) on 4 Oct 1636 in Hingham, Norfolk, England. 
 
Mary married (3) John BEAL (BEALES) on 10 Mar 1658/1659 in Hingham, Plymouth, Massachusetts. 
 
by Frank Gill G2G Astronaut (2.5m points)
Frank, the original compilation of the passenger list is transcribed here:

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ski/scott/diligent.html

As you'll see, it only calls her "Mrs. Mary Folsom".
I'm just rereading this.  This claims that both claims #1 and 2 are correct.  Ie that Mary Gilman married three times. But it's widow Jacob, not widow Folsom, who marries John Beal in Hingham (per Hingham Ma vital records).  And she dies in Hingham in 1681 and Folsom's wife dies in Exeter ten years later... This is a good mystery.
+6 votes

Hi Jillaine - you might want to take a look at the text partially shown below to see if it helps your confirmation.  Foulson/Folsom in on p. 1555.   It also has ancestry of John as well as descendants.

From: Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to Families of Boston and Eastern, Massachusetts by William Richard Cutter.


" IV.   Adam Folsom(4), son of Adam Folsom (3) was father of the American immigrant.  He married Agnes and died in 1627.   His will names three sons>
1 John mentioned below:
2 Adam
3 Peter said to have emigrated also and changed his name to Smith his grandfather's surname.

V.   John Folsom(5)  son of Adam Folsom (4) the immigrant ancestor, was baptized in England 1615 and married at Hingham, England, October 4, 1636, Mary Gilman, eldest child of Edward and Mary Clark Gilman.   In 1638 with wife and two servants he came from Hingham, England to Hingham ,Massachusetts and in 1639 his brother Adam Folsom came over.  The Gilmans also came to Hingham ..  John Folsom sailed April 26 ,1638 in the ship Diligent from the mouth of the Thames and landed Boston August 10. 1638.   He received a grant of land and before winter had his house built.  This house or one built later by him was taken down in 1875.   He was chosen a selectman in 1645.   He and Captain Joshua Hubbard were granted liberty of the two rivers Rocky Meadow and Bound Brook rivers so far as the town hath property to build and sustain a saw mill or mills.  John Folsom sold his lands in Hingham about 1655 and removed with his family to Exeter, New Hampshire.”



http://books.google.com/books?id=qaK9Vz1UdDcC&pg=PA1555&lpg=PA1555&dq=John+Folsom+Hingham,+ma&source=bl&ots=kUygX_737u&sig=GEUJVb3-gQnEd6KJ1jazqPfNb0M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=M5MTUrDLI5i54APr74DgDw&ved=0CFoQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=John%20Folsom%20Hingham%2C%20ma&f=false

by Chris Hoyt G2G6 Pilot (855k points)
Chris and Frank, thanks for these. As you see, however, neither of those offer any evidence or documentation to confirm that the Mary who married John Folsom was Mary Gilman, dau of Edward. They simply claim it. We need to find something more contemporary to the time period that supports the identification of the surname of Mary, wife of John Folsom.

For example, the Proprietor records of Hingham, referenced under Claim #2 above, are contemporary to the time period. That is stronger evidence for claim #2 than the sources mentioned so far for claim #1, all of which are derivative and cite no original sources.

A Genealogy of the Folsom Family: John Folsom and His Descendants, 1615-1882

 By Jacob Chapman

On page two of Jacob Chapman's above referenced book, the 2nd paragraph, states..."The names of the ch. of John Folsham and his wife, Mary (Gilman) Folsham, are found in the diary of Rev. Peter Hobart of Hingham, Mass., who recorded the date at which he baptized each of them."

Thanks Frank. That takes care of identifying the children of John Folsham and his wife but not her maiden name.  Yeah, I know. I'm a stickler.

Her maiden name, Gilman, is in parentheses as it appears in Jacob Chapman's book, " A Genealogy of the Folsom Family: John Folson and His Descendants, 1615-1882."  It's on page two, in the 2nd paragraph. 

"...John Folsham and his wife, Mary (Gilman) Folsham, are found in the diary of Rev. Peter Hobart of Hingham, Mass., who recorded the date at which he baptized each of them."

 

But is her Gilman maiden name actually mentioned in the ancient diary that is used as a reference? Or just the names of the children ?

We really need to find that 10 oct 1636 Hingham England marriage record.  I'm attracted to the specific date provided and to the notion that Mary Gilman travelled on the same ship as her birth family.  (Nicolas Jacob and his wife -- also of Hingham England-- came earlier.).  But without a contemporaneous record that the wife of John Folsom was a Gilman, the documentation supporting the Nicolas Jacob marriage is stronger.  (See theory #2 in opening question.)
+6 votes

Finally found the original Hingham, Norfolk, England Parish Records. They're browsable (not searchable) at familysearch.org.  Found Mary's baptism:

England, Norfolk Parish Records, 1538-1900; Hingham; Baptisms, Marriages, Burials 1600-1676; image 18 of 60: "[1615] Mary the daughter of Edward Gilman was baptized the first of August."

1636 Marriages are on image 39-40 of same source above:

"John Faulsham [and I would not have found this without knowing what I was looking for] a has family [that's what it looks like] and Marie Ghylman were married 4 of October."

So we do know he married a Mary Gilman. What we don't know is which Mary Gilman he married. That said, the age of the Mary Gilman, dau of Edward Gilman (bp 1615) is right on for such a marriage.  I am now inclined to believe this.

The Mary who married Nicholas Jacob must have done so by 1633 when they arrive together in New England. 

BUT what's still challenging is the Hingham MA proprietor's record in 1638 through which Nicholas Jacob transfers land to Edward Gilman, brother-in-law. Torrey makes a good case for it being Mary. But that definitely conflicts with the story that the Hingham England parish records tell.  Another mystery to solve...

And I think I've solved it... See new answer.

 

 

by Jillaine Smith G2G6 Pilot (896k points)

I just wanted to comment on that part of the record you couldn't read. "a has family" is really 'alias Smith' this is from the Folsom Genealogy 1938 ver. by Elizabeth Knowles Folsom, vol. 1, pg. 25. For a reason that is not clear to me, in England they appended their mother's maiden name to the end of their names. I'm sure glad that they dropped that when they got to the colonies.

+6 votes

The primary evidence that supports Mary Gilman as wife of Nicholas Jacob (and then of John Beale) is this:

Clarence Almon Torrey, "English Origin of Edward1 Gilman" in The American Genealogist, 11 (1934):136 which states: "Proof that Nicholas Jacob's wife was Edward Gilman's sister is found in the Proprietors' Records of Hingham, Mass., Book A., folio 32. Nicholas Jacob, in 1638, gave one of the tracts granted to him by the town 'unto Edward Gillman his brother in law.' Edward Gilman's wife was Mary Clark. Nicholas Jacob's wife was also named Mary. Hence, if we dismiss the very unlikely hypothesis that Mary Clark had a sister who was also named Mary, the wife of Nicolas Jacob must have been Mary Gilman, sister of Edward."

People have taken the above Mary "sister to Edward" to mean Mary Gilman, bpt 1615. But Mary Gilman bpt 1615 was daughter to Edward, not sister. 

Edward Gilman who married Mary Clark was born about 1587; a sister Mary would have been born closer to 1587 than to 1615.

So while Nicholas Jacob DID marry a Mary Gilman, it wasn't the Mary Gilman born 1615. THAT Mary Gilman married John Folsom.

Okay, I know what I have to do now...

by Jillaine Smith G2G6 Pilot (896k points)
Gilman-2 is Mary Gilman, DAUGHTER of Edward and Mary (Clark) Gilman, bpt 1615 in Hingham, Norfolk; married 1636 John Folsom; emigrated 1638, initially to Hingham, MA, then to Exeter NH where she died abt 1691

Gilman-163 is Mary Gilman, SISTER of Edward Gilman, per a proprietor record of Nicholas Jacob who grants land to his brother-in-law Edward Gilman. To be his sister she was born btw 1587 and 1600.

I have attached the appropriate spouses and their children to the appropriate Mary Gilman.

There are TONS of dupes now in the subsequent generations that need merging.
Great detective work!  Can I help with the clean up?
Please do, Cathy. You could start with cleaning up the narratives of those children of John Folsom and Mary Gilman-2 and the children of Nicholas Jacob and Mary Gilman-163 that have already been merged.

Then if you're comfortable with merging, you could take on starting to merge the next generation down. Thanks!

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