Sarah (Preston) Stacy (abt. 1705 - abt. 1793)

Born about 1705 in Andover, Essex, Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Wife of John Stacy — married 24 Jan 1724 in Andover, Essex, Massachusetts

Wife of Joseph Morse — married 20 Oct 1762 in Sturbridge, Worcester, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died about Jan 1793 at about age 88 in Sturbridge, Worcester Co., Massachusetts [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Bob Pond [send private message]

Biography

Birth in Andover, MA about 1705

Sarah Preston was born about 1705 to Sarah (Bridges) Price (abt.1673-abt.1725) and Samuel Preston (1673-1717) of Andover, Essex, Massachusetts Bay. While her birth does not appear to have been captured by Andover vital records (as is true of the births of two of her sisters^[1]), she is named as the 4th daughter in the 1717 probate records for her father's estate.^[2]

Of note, in 1692, during the Salem Witch Trials, Sarah's mother, then named Sarah Bridges, was accused of witchcraft. She denied the accusation initially, but later confessed and was indicted. Eventually she was found not guilty. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

Disambiguation of the 3 Sarah Preston's born in Andover

At least three Sarah's were born to members of the Preston families of Andover during this period. The first of these was born to John Preston (1685-1733) and the second and third Sarah's were born to Samuel Preston (1673-1717), a nephew of John Preston (1685-1733).

A primary source documents the first two of these births on the same page:^[7]

1. There was a Sarah born 5 Feb 1695 to John Preston (1685-1733) and Sarah (Geary) Preston (1665-). Of this Sarah, the 1918 Gary Genealogy^[8] notes that Sarah's father John Preston (1685-1733) saw action in the Narragansett War of 1670 - 1675 and subsequently moved his family to Windham County, Connecticut. According to a 19th century history of Windham County, John Preston (1685-1733) was among the early settlers of Hampton, Windham County, Connecticut^[9] which was then called Kennedy or Windham Village. As discussed below, the three sons of John Stacy (abt.1700-1746) and Sarah (Preston) Stacy (abt.1705-1793) were born in Killingly, Windham County, CT -- 15 miles to the east of Hampton. It is thus tempting to conclude that the father of Sarah (Preston) Stacy (abt.1705-1793) was John Preston (1685-1733). However, both the Gary Genealogy and the undated manuscript entitled "The Prestons of Andover"^[10] record that Sarah the daughter of John Preston (1685-1733) died in 1712 -- prior to the 1723 marrage of John Stacy (abt.1700-1746) and Sarah (Preston) Stacy (abt.1705-1793).
2. There was a Sarah born 26 Feb 1695, the first-born child of Samuel Preston (1673-1717) and Sarah (Bridges) Price (abt.1673-abt.1725). The Prestons of Andover" records that "John Stacy of Hampton, Conn." (his residence as recorded on a marrage record^{[11] [12]}) married this Sarah Preston born in 1695. However, as noted above, this is not consistent with the 1717 probate record for the estate of Samuel Preston (1673-1717) which names Sarah as the fourth rather then the oldest of his surviving daugthers. According to a 1931 Preston family genealogical history^[13] the Sarah Preston born in 1695 to Samuel Preston (1673-1717) and Sarah (Bridges) Price (abt.1673-abt.1725) (their first-born child) died 16 Aug 1703.
3. According to this 1931 Preston family genealogical history, another daughter born to this same couple after 16 Aug 1703 was also given the name Sarah and it is this third Sarah Preston who was named in the probate record of Samuel Preston (1673-1717) and who married "John Stacy of Hampton".

Marriage in Andover followed by children born in Killingly, CT

On 24 January 1723 "John Stacy of Hampton" (John Stacy (abt.1700-1746)) married "Sarah Preston of Andover" (Sarah (Preston) Stacy (abt.1705-1793)) in Andover, Essex County, MA.^{[14] [15][16]} Note that there is no Hampton, MA and Hampton, Windham County, CT was not incorporated until 1786. Thus, this reference to Hampton warrants further investigation. In any case, records of subsequent births of their children show that once married Sarah and John Stacy (abt.1700-1746) moved to Killingly, Windham County, Connecticut.

Note that Hampton, CT is 90 miles to the south of Andover, MA. Why would a man from so far away marry in Andover? The answer is suggested by records showing that at least 3 of Sarah's relatives moved to Windham County, Connecticut. As noted above, her grandfather's brother John Preston was recorded as being one of the early settlers of Hampton^[17] along with his brother Jacob Prestion^[18]. John Preston may have first settled in Killingly. A land deed shows that in 1707 John Preston "of Killingly" bought 50 acres of land in Killingly.^[19] In additiion, a 2014 genealogical history by Adrienne Boaz documents that two of Sarah Preston's siblings (Levi Preston (1696-1781), Jemima Preston (1701-1789) and Joanna (Preston) Utter (1702-abt.1756)) moved to Killingly.^[20] Killingly was first laid out in 1708.^[21]. The land was "owned by the colony of Connecticut and not by individuals or companies, and tracts of it were given by the government in recognition of civil or military services rendered it." It is possible that several members of the extended Preston family took advantage of land granted to John Preston following his service during the Naragansett War of 1670-1675.

Sarah and John Stacy (abt.1700-1746) had 3 sons born in Killingly :

1. Caleb Stacy (1729-abt.1765)^[22]
2. Isaac Stacy (1731-1811)^[23][24]
3. Mark Stacy (1733-)^[25][26]

Move to Sturbridge where more children were born

By 1735 the family had moved to Sturbridge, Massachusetts (30 miles to the north of Windham) where records of all subsequent births and marriages of members of the family are to be found. The search continues for an explanation as to why the family moved from Killingly. There is documentation that two of the sibilings of Sarah (Preston) Stacy (abt.1705-1793) (Phoebe Preston (1711-1739) and Joshua Preston (1716-abt.1740)) also moved to Sturbridge.^[27]

There in Sturbridge, John Stacy (abt.1700-1746) and Sarah (Preston) Stacy (abt.1705-1793) had three daughters:^[28]

1. Sarah, b. 15 Mar 1735^[29]
2. Abigail, b. 31 May 1737
3. Pheba (Stacy) Morse (1740-1805), b. 8 Mar 1740.

Death of John Stacy and remarriage of Sarah

A record of John's death has yet to be found. He and Sarah were likely living in Sturbridge at the time, but the Sturbridge vital records did not capture the event.^[30]

According to a 19th century Morse family genealogical history, on 20 Oct 1762 "Mrs. Sarah, widow of John Stacy" re-married the widower Joseph Morse in Sturbridge.^[31]

Death of Sarah

According to the Morse Genealogy, Sarah died in 1793 some years after the death of her second husband Joseph Morse in 1780.^[32]

Sources

1. ↑ Specific Ancestral Lines of the Boaz, Paul, Welty & Fishel Families, by web blog by Adrienne Boaz (http://www.specificancestrallines.com/samuel-preston-jr-and-sarah-bridges.html)
2. ↑ Preston, Charles Henry. Descendants of Roger Preston of Ipswich and Salem village. Salem, Mass., Essex Institute, 1931. pp. 30-31 (https://archive.org/details/descendantsofrog00pres_0/page/30/mode/2up)
3. ↑ Witches of Massachusetts, Legends of America website
4. ↑ The Salem Witchcraft Papers|The Salem Witchcraft Papers]] (Scholars' Lab, University of Virginia Library, 2018) SWP No. 019.
5. ↑ Massachusetts Remediation 17 October 1710, Convictions Reversed, The General Court of Massachusetts Bay, An act, the several convictions, judgments, and attainders be, and hereby are, reversed, and declared to be null and void.
6. ↑ “Salem Witchcraft : with an Account of Salem Village, and a History of Opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Subjects : Upham, Charles Wentworth, 1802-1875, Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive, January 1, 1970. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17845/17845-h/salem2-htm.html#Page_ii.480.
7. ↑ Birth Marriages and Death 1651 - 1700. Town of Andover. Image 33 of 61 at Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/70818080:2495?tid=&pid=&queryId=e759f65ee6b61466c8ff8702f3c36dd9&_phsrc=nFx1454&_phstart=successSource)
8. ↑ The descendants of Arthur Gary of Roxbury, Massachusetts; (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/509669/?offset=0#page=46&viewer=picture&o=&n=0&q=)
9. ↑ Windham County Conn. Buisness Directory ... with a History of Each Town.1861 (https://archive.org/details/windhamcountycon00lee/page/52/mode/2up?view=theater)
10. ↑ The Prestons of Andover. See page 3 for 1712 death of Sarah (https://mhl.org//sites/default/files/files/Abbott/Preston%20Family.pdf)
11. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L979-HPSW?cc=2061550&wc=Q4DC-C66%3A353349401%2C353609201%2C353611401 : 30 October 2019), Essex > Andover > Marriages 1647-1844 > image 20 of 143; citing Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston.
12. ↑ "Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910, 1921-1924", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCQW-2BS : 29 July 2021), John Stacy, 1723.
13. ↑ Preston, Charles Henry. Descendants of Roger Preston of Ipswich and Salem village. Salem, Mass., Essex Institute, 1931. pp. 30-31 (https://archive.org/details/descendantsofrog00pres_0/page/30/mode/2up)
14. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L979-HPSW?cc=2061550&wc=Q4DC-C66%3A353349401%2C353609201%2C353611401 : 30 October 2019), Essex > Andover > Marriages 1647-1844 > image 20 of 143; citing Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston.
15. ↑ "Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910, 1921-1924", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCQW-2BS : 29 July 2021), John Stacy, 1723.
16. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPZC-M9RP : 19 April 2021), John Stacy and Sarah Preston, 24 Jan 1724; citing Marriage, Andover, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007010678.
17. ↑ Windham County Conn. Buisness Directory ... with a History of Each Town.1861 (https://archive.org/details/windhamcountycon00lee/page/52/mode/2up?view=theater)
18. ↑ Preston, Charles Henry. Descendants of Roger Preston of Ipswich and Salem village. Salem, Mass., Essex Institute, 1931. pp. 32 (https://archive.org/details/descendantsofrog00pres_0/page/32/mode/2up)
19. ↑ Preston, Charles Henry. Descendants of Roger Preston of Ipswich and Salem village. Salem, Mass., Essex Institute, 1931. pp. 34 (https://archive.org/details/descendantsofrog00pres_0/page/34/mode/2up)
20. ↑ Specific Ancestral Lines of the Boaz, Paul, Welty & Fishel Families. 2014. Web blog of Adrienne Welty Boaz. (http://www.specificancestrallines.com/samuel-preston-jr-and-sarah-bridges.html)
21. ↑ Killinmgly History, by the Killingly Historical and Genealogical Socieity (see https://www.killinglyhistorical.org/museum/killingly-history)
22. ↑ The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town and Vital Records. Huntington, Kent Killingly. (https://books.google.com/books?id=og3_9snb86sC&pg=PA352&lpg=PA352&dq=Caleb+Stacy+1729&source=bl&ots=ZNe-nesdod&sig=ACfU3U0ozQEzJcNuxxyfrbcBExYwE34VgA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjNtZyBoK33AhVGJTQIHSFdAZEQ6AF6BAgMEAM#v=onepage&q=Caleb%20Stacy%201729&f=false) Page 352 is part of the index for Killingly. Under "Stacy" there is an entry showing that John and Sarah had Caleb, born on July 19, 1729 and Isaac, born on March 15 1730/31 and Mark, born on Jan 5, 1732/33. One plausible explanation is that Isaac was born March 15 1731 (which was part of 1730 with the previous calendar system).
23. ↑ The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town and Vital Records. Huntington, Kent Killingly. (https://books.google.com/books?id=og3_9snb86sC&pg=PA352&lpg=PA352&dq=Caleb+Stacy+1729&source=bl&ots=ZNe-nesdod&sig=ACfU3U0ozQEzJcNuxxyfrbcBExYwE34VgA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjNtZyBoK33AhVGJTQIHSFdAZEQ6AF6BAgMEAM#v=onepage&q=Caleb%20Stacy%201729&f=false) Page 352 is part of the index for Killingly. Under "Stacy" there is an entry showing that John and Sarah had Caleb, born on July 19, 1729 and Isaac, born on March 15 1730/31 and Mark, born on Jan 5, 1732/33. One plausible explanation is that Isaac was born March 15 1731 (which was part of 1730 with the previous calendar system).
24. ↑ "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F747-9C9 : 7 January 2020), John Stacy in entry for Isaac Stacy, 1730.
25. ↑ The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town and Vital Records. Huntington, Kent Killingly. (https://books.google.com/books?id=og3_9snb86sC&pg=PA352&lpg=PA352&dq=Caleb+Stacy+1729&source=bl&ots=ZNe-nesdod&sig=ACfU3U0ozQEzJcNuxxyfrbcBExYwE34VgA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjNtZyBoK33AhVGJTQIHSFdAZEQ6AF6BAgMEAM#v=onepage&q=Caleb%20Stacy%201729&f=false) Page 352 is part of the index for Killingly. Under "Stacy" there is an entry showing that John and Sarah had Caleb, born on July 19, 1729 and Isaac, born on March 15 1730/31 and Mark, born on Jan 5, 1732/33. One plausible explanation is that Isaac was born March 15 1731 (which was part of 1730 with the previous calendar system).
26. ↑ "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F747-9HQ : 7 January 2020), John Stacy in entry for Mark Stacy, 1732.
27. ↑ Preston, Charles Henry. Descendants of Roger Preston of Ipswich and Salem village. Salem, Mass., Essex Institute, 1931. pp. 50 (https://archive.org/details/descendantsofrog00pres_0/page/50/mode/2up?q=Sturbridge) and pp. 58(https://archive.org/details/descendantsofrog00pres_0/page/58/mode/2up?q=Sturbridge)
28. ↑ Vital Records of Sturbridge, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. Boston: New-England Historic Genealogical Society, 1906 (b. p. 123, m. p. 240, d. p. 359)
29. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VQD4-18F : 10 February 2018), Sarah in entry for Sarah Stacy, 15 Mar 1735; citing STURBRIDGE,WORCESTER,MASSACHUSETTS, ; FHL microfilm 1496523 IT 7.
30. ↑ Vital Records of Sturbridge, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. Boston: New-England Historic Genealogical Society, 1906 (https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofst00stur/page/378/mode/2up?view=theater)
31. ↑ Morse genealogy : comprising the descendants of Samuel, Anthony, William and Joseph Morse and John Moss : being a revision of the "Memorial of the Morses" published by Rev. Abner Morse in 1850 (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/550551/?offset=5#page=120&viewer=picture&o=&n=0&q=)
32. ↑ Morse genealogy : comprising the descendants of Samuel, Anthony, William and Joseph Morse and John Moss : being a revision of the "Memorial of the Morses" published by Rev. Abner Morse in 1850 (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/550551/?offset=5#page=120&viewer=picture&o=&n=0&q=)