Contents |
This Hannah Boulter, born in Hampton, is a different person than the Hannah Boulter (Bolter-3), born in Weymouth. The two have already been merged once, and then separated. Please do not attempt to repeat the mistake.
During the time of Hannah’s birth, New Hampshire did not yet exist. The Province of New Hampshire was formed circa 1680. Before that Hampton, Exeter, and other towns were part of Norfolk County of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. (Note that old Norfolk County has no relationship to the existing Norfolk County, Massachusetts.) [1] To add to the confusion, Weymouth was in Suffolk County of the Massachusetts Bay Colony but is now a part of the (modern) Norfolk County.
During the time of Benjamin Norton’s marriage, Dukes County, i.e. the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, was part of New York; it was joined with Massachusetts in 1691, at which time Nantucket was split into its own county. [2]
Hannah Boulter was born to Nathaniel Boulter and his wife, Grace Swain, on 27 Jun 1665 in Hampton, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony [3] [4] [5] although one source gives the same date in the year 1667. [6]
Little more is known of her life. Noyes briefly mentioned her in his sketch of her father. He wrote: “Hannah, b. 27 June 1667, liv. 1703. Portsm. carried one Hannah Boulter to Hampton in 1723.” [7] Perhaps this means that in 1703, she resided in Portsmouth; and then returned to Hampton in 1723.
Opinions differ on whether the Hampton Hannah or the Weymouth Hannah married Benjamin Norton. It is notable that the marriage occurred in Edgartown, Dukes County, a substantial journey from either Hampton or Weymouth. Accordingly, one has to provide some plausible reason for the connection between the two. In the case of the Hampton Hannah, the connection would be property. Her grandfather, Richard Swain, was one of the ten original shareholders in the purchase of Nantucket from Thomas Mayhew. On 6 July 1663, Swain deeded a portion of his shares to Nathaniel Boulter, Hannah’s father.[8] Nathaniel never moved to Nantucket and there seems to be no record of the disposition of his shares. It is possible that the share was passed through Hannah in the form of a dowry. In the case of the Weymouth Hannah, the connection would be through family and friends. Benjamin’s father, Nicholas, resided in Weymouth before relocating to Dukes County. [9]
Torrey’s index to marriages cites two sources: Banks Genealogy of Martha’s Vineyard and Chamberlain’s History of Weymouth.
Banks wrote: “BENJAMIN NORTON b. 1659; res. Edgartown, farmer. He m Hannah ____ of whose identity nothing is known nor the date of her birth or death.” [10]
Chamberlain wrote: “Hannah Bolter, dau of Thomas Bolter and Experience Aldrich, b 30 Nov 1662, m ___ Norton.” [11]
From these two sources, Torrey renders a qualified claim: “NORTON, Benjamin (-1659) & Hannah [?Bolter]; by 1685; Edgartown {Martha’s Vineyard 3:374; Weymouth 3:124}.” [12] He regards it as uncertain that the bride was named Bo(u)lter at all.
Some have cited an article by Rutherford as proof that Benjamin Norton married the Weymouth Hannah. However, the credibility of the article is undermined by a serious factual mistake. He states his understanding that "Bolter" and "Boulter" are variant spellings of the same name. He then asserts that Richard Bolter of Weymouth, made a freeman in 1653, “is the earliest member of this family found in Massachusetts.” [13] This claim ignores the fact that Nathaniel Boulter of Hampton, Norfolk County arrived in 1642 and owned property by 1644. This suggests that Rutherford was unaware of the Hampton Bolters, rendering it impossible for him to exclude the Hampton Hannah as the wife of Benjamin Norton. On the other hand, his claim that the Weymouth Hannah married Benjamin Norton [14] is phrased in the context of her father’s will. Further research has revealed the will for Thomas Bolter of Weymouth in which he mentions his oldest daughter, Hannah Norton. [15] Although her husband's name is not given, it seems reasonable to conclude that it was the Weymouth Hannah Bolter who married Benjamin Norton.
Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
Hannah is 16 degrees from Emeril Lagasse, 21 degrees from Nigella Lawson, 22 degrees from Maggie Beer, 43 degrees from Mary Hunnings, 26 degrees from Joop Braakhekke, 29 degrees from Michael Chow, 17 degrees from Ree Drummond, 20 degrees from Paul Hollywood, 18 degrees from Matty Matheson, 21 degrees from Martha Stewart, 26 degrees from Danny Trejo and 21 degrees from Molly Yeh on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.