Mercy Bumstead, my 9th great grandmother, was born January 20, 1649 in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of Thomas Bumstead and his wife Susanah (Chambers).
Thomas and Susannah emigrated from England in early 1638 with two small children, Thomas b. 1636 and Jeremiah b. 1637. They settled in Roxbury, Massachusetts where they had 4 more children: Anna b. 1638, Hannah b. 1641, Mary b. 1642 and Gerard b. 1643. According to “The History of Roxbury Town,” Thomas “was dismissed to Boston and died in 1677.” In Boston, Thomas and Susanah had at least two more children, my ancestor Mercy in 1649 and Joseph in 1653.
Around 1669, Mercy married Samuel Bosworth with whom she had three sons: Samuel b. July 9, 1670, Joseph b. July 22, 1677, and Jeremiah b. May 13, 1679. Samuel ran a tavern where he was licensed to sell beer and cider. Sadly, he died in late 1680 leaving Mercy to raise their three sons alone.
On April 25, 1681 the Boston Selectmen approved the “Widow Bosworth” to keep a house of public entertainment and thus it was that Mercy became a tavern keeper.
In 1682, Mercy Bosworth married John Raulston, my 9th great grandfather, a native of Scotland. He and Mercy became the parents of 5 known children: Mercy b. 1682, John (my 8th great grandfather) b. 1864, Thomas b. 1686, Joseph b. 1688 and Mary b. 1690.
Although no record of her death has been found, it’s likely that Mercy died in 1713/1714 for her husband John was not issued a license to operate a tavern of spirits and an inn until 1714.
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bumstead-34