Mary (Brooks) Norcross (abt. 1630 - 1672)

Born about 1630 in England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Wife of Richard Norcross — married 24 Jun 1650 (to 1672) in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 24 Feb 1672 at about age 42 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Biography

Mary (Brooks) Norcross immigrated to New England as a child during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640).

Birth

Mary Brooks was born about 1630 (based on date of marrage) in England, the daughter of Henry Brooks/Brook/Brooke; who became a freeman of Massachusets Bay Colony on March 14, 1638.^[1]She was the 6th child of 8 total children belonging to Henry and his first wife, whose name is not known. ^[2]

Marriage

Mary Brooks married Richard Norcross,^[3] son of Jeremiah Norcross and his wife Adrean (unknown surname), on June 24, 1650 at Watertown.^[4] Richard became a freeman on May 26, 1653 and was chosen as the first schoolmaster at Watertown on January 11, 1650/1651. He continued in that position for twenty years, even teaching as late as November 1687; his yearly compensation being L30.^[5][2]

Death of Mary (Brooks) Norcross

Mary died February 24, 1672 at Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony.^[6]

Her husband, being a widower, married (2nd) to Susanna (Unknown surname) the widow of William Shattuck. Susanna died December 11, 1686. Richard married (3rd) to Mary (surname unknown).^[6] He died between the writing on his will on April 8, 1708 and the time when it was proved in October, 1709.^[5]Mary died in 1709.^[6]

Children of Mary (Brooks) and her husband Richard Norcross:^[5]

1. Mary b. 27 Aug 1652; d. 19 Oct 1661
2. Jeremiah b. 3 Mar 1655; d. 30 Nov 1717
3. Sarah b. 28 Dec 1657; m. 23 Sep 1680 to Joseph Child Jr.
4. Richard b. 4 Aug 1660
5. Mary b. 10 July 1663; m. 2 Apr 1713 to John Stearns as his 2nd wife.
6. Nathaniel b. 18 Dec 1665; d. 1 Dec 1717
7. Samuel b. 4 May 1771.

Research Notes

The best material on this family was compiled by Christopher Hapgood Brooks and is maintained as part of his Tributaries: Genealogies of the Brooks Families of New England. This incorporates all of John Brooks Threlfall's material and includes an excellent biography of Mary (Brooks) Norcross (say1630–1672).

Sources

1. ↑ Nathaniel Bradstreet Shuirtleff. "Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts bay in New England" Printed by order of the legislature, W. White printer. (1853) Vol. 1, p. 375.see at archive.org.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Miriam Brightman Eddy. "Thomas, Henry and Hannah Brooks of Concord." p. 235.subscription
3. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch ([1] : 11 May 2022), Richard Norcross and Mary Brooks, 24 Apr 1650; citing Marriage, Newton, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007011107.
4. ↑ Christopher Brooks. "Tributaries, Genealogies of the Brooks Families of New England" Mary/2w Brooks.link
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Henry Bond. "Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, including Waltham and Weston: to Which is Appended the Early History of the Town." N.E. Historic-genealogical Society, for the benefit of the "Bond Fund." (1860). pp 376, 377.see at archive.org
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Nora Emma Snow. "The Snow-Estes Ancestry" M. Jilson, Hillburn, N. Y. (1939). Vol. 2, pp 282 - 284.see at archive.org.

See also:

• Descendants of George Abbott, of Rowley, Mass. : of his joint descendants with George Abbott, sr., of Andover, Mass., of the descendants of Daniel Abbott, of Providence, R.I., of some of the descendants of Capt. Thomas Abbott, of Andover, Mass., of George Abbott, of Norwalk Ct., of Robert Abbott, of Branford Ct., with brief notes of many others of the name, original settlers in the United States Author: Lemuel Abijah Abbott Boston: Abbott, 1906. Vol. 1, p. 55.see at archive.org
• The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .) John Brooks Threlfall. "Thomas Brooks of Watertown and Concord." Vol. 53 (1977) p. 94 - 100.subscription
• Watertown Records of BMD
• Genealogical and Family History of the State of New Hampshire, Volume 2 edited by Ezra S. Stearns, William Frederick Whitcher, Edward Everett Parker. p. 681, 682.
• Find A Grave: Memorial #54285550