Christopher Webb (abt. 1600 - 1671)

Born about 1600 in Crediton, Devon, England [uncertain]

Husband of Humilitie (Wheaton) Webb — married 22 Apr 1629 in Crediton, Devon, England

Descendants

Died Jun 1671 at about age 71 in Braintree, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Biography

Origins; Parentage

A number of speculative theories have in the past been circulated regarding Christopher's origins and parentage.

The Abbe-Abbey Genealogy stated (without providing any sources or explanation) that Christopher came from Barking, Essex, England in 1620.^[1] Another theory, adopted by many online family trees, is that he was the son of (the probably fictional) Sir Alexander Webb II of Warwickshire. However, no reliable evidence has ever been discovered or produced that support either of those theories.

A more evidence-based theory was that Christopher was closely related to Henry Webb of Boston, who had a brother who lived in Tytherly, Hampshire, England. There is a record of the baptism in 1601 in East Tytherly, Hampshire of a Christopher Webb, the son of a Sylvester Webb,^[2] the speculation being that perhaps that baptismal record related to this profile's Christopher Webb.

All of the above-referenced theories have been effectively disproven by the discovery of the records for Christopher's marriage and the baptisms of all of his children in Crediton, Devonshire parish records. Christopher's will establishes that his wife's name was Humility and that he had children named Christopher, Sarah and Mary. According to The Giles Memorial, a "genealogical statement" made by Dea. Jonathan Webb (b. 1752, d. 1826)) stated that, in addition to children named Christopher, Sarah and Mary, Christopher also had a son named Thomas.^[3] Crediton parish records contain entries that perfectly match these facts, including the 1629 marriage of a Christopher Webb and a Humilitie Wheaton,^[4] the 1630 baptism of their son Christopher,^[5] the 1632 baptism of their son Thomas,^[6] the 1634 baptism of their daughter Sarah,^[7] and the 1637 baptism of their daughter Mary.^[8] Based on the near certainty that these records relate to Christopher and his wife and children, the theories that suggested that he was born in Essex, Warwickshire or Hampshire appear to not only be speculative but implausible.

No baptismal record has been found for a Christopher Webb in or near Crediton. There are, however, records of the baptism of a Thomas Webb in Crediton in 1575^[9] and the baptism of a Walter Webb, son of a Thomas Webb (likely the same Thomas), in Crediton in 1596.^[10] The pages of the Crediton parish records for the late 1500s and early 1600s are out of order and partially unreadable. It is therefore possible that Christopher Webb was the son of the Thomas Webb who was baptized in Crediton in 1575 and the brother of the Walter Webb who was baptized there in 1596.

Birth Date

Assuming the 1626 Crediton burial of Elizabeth Webb referenced below relates to Christopher's first wife, Christopher was probably born sometime in 1598-1602, with about 1600 being a reasonable midpoint estimate.

First Marriage

There is a Crediton parish record for the burial in 1626 of Elizabeth, the wife of Christopher Webb.^[11] It is very likely that the burial record relates to Christopher's first wife. No record of their marriage has yet been found, and no evidence has been found that suggests that they had any children.

Second Marriage and Children

Christopher married, probably second, Humilitie Wheaton in Crediton, Devonshire on April 22, 1629.^[4] (The familysearch.org database incorrectly gives the date as April 22, 1628.^[12])

Christopher and Humilitie/Humility had the following children, all of whom were baptized in Crediton, Devonshire:

1. Christopher, bpt. March 28, 1630, m. January 18, 1654/5 Hannah Scott in Braintree, d. May 30, 1694 in Braintree. (See discussion and sources in Christopher's profile.)
2. Thomas, bpt. June 3, 1632, bur. February 6, 1638/9 in Crediton. (See discussion and sources in Thomas's profile.) Note: He was not the same person as Thomas Webb of Charlestown. See discussion in the profile for Thomas Webb of Charlestown for details.
3. Sarah, bpt. June 22, 1634, m. March 7, 1654/5 to Zechariah Buckmaster at Boston, d. after June 1671. (See discussion and sources in Sarah's profile.)
4. Mary, bpt. July 2, 1637, m. probably about 1659 William Sheffield, d. October 31, 1714 in Sherborn, Massachusetts. (See discussion and sources in Mary's profile.)

Some online family trees say that Christopher also had a son named Richard. No reliable evidence has been found, however, for a son by that name.

Immigration

The date and means of Christopher's emigration to New England are unknown. The first record of his presence in New England is his inclusion in a long list of men who were admitted as freemen of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in May 1645.^[13] Based on the fact that his son Thomas was buried in Crediton in January 1638/9, Christopher therefore emigrated sometime between 1639 and 1644 (since May 1645 was too early for him to have emigrated in 1645.).

Residency in New England

Nothing in the May 1645 record of Christopher being made a freeman indicates his place of residency.^[13] The next known record for Christopher, however, is suggestive.

In October 1, 1645, Christopher Webb was among about 32 freemen whose petition for land for a town was granted by the General Court for the Colony.^[14] Nothing in the record itself states where either Christopher or the other men were from. However, according to Patee in his 1879 History of Old Braintree and Quincy, the petitioners were mostly inhabitants of Braintree.^[15] It is therefore probable that Christopher was living in Braintree by that time.

Only two records possibly relating to Christopher have been found between the date of the 1645 petition and his death in 1671. The first is a 1653 list of assessments by the town of Dedham for the "Countrey Rate," which includes an entry for the assessment of 5 shillings (one of the lowest assessments) against "Christo: Webb".^[16] Since there were no other Christopher Webbs known to have been living in the area at the time, this record probably relates to this profile's Christopher. The tax assessment indicates that Christopher owned some land in Dedham at the time, but no other information has been found or deduced regarding his connection to Dedham.

The only other record that has been found between 1645 and 1671 that possibly relates to Christopher is an entry in the Braintree town records dated 2nd: 11mo: 1656 (January 2, 1656) that states that a highway was laid out in a line between Deacon Bass and John Dosset Senior, down the hill and "then to lye by goodman Webbs swamp and so along betwene the two hills."^[17] This record may well relate to a different Webb, since there were two other men named Webb with land in Braintree at the time.

Will; Death Estate

Christopher Webb died in June 1671. He made a noncupative will that was attested to on November 2, 1671 by Samuel Thompson and Joseph Adams. He gave his son Christopher Web all his lands; he gave his wife Humility Web all his moveable goods and the use of 4 acres of meadow during her lifetime; he gave his daughter Mary Sheffield a cow; and he gave his daughter Sarah Buckmaster an iron kettle after her mother's decease. He appointed his wife as his executrix.^[18]

The inventory of Christopher Web Senior's estate was appraised by Samuel Thompson and Joseph Adams on October 30, 1671 at £109, £90 of which was his house and land.^[18]

Christopher Webb [Jr.] signed the administrator's bond for the estate of his father Christopher Webb on 12 Dec 1671.^[19] Administration of the estate was granted to Christopher Jr. on January 15, 1672.^[18]

^{[4] [9] [10] [11] [8] [1] [19] [12] [3] [18] [15] [7] [6] [5] [2] [16] [17] [13] [14]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Abbe, Cleveland and Nichols, Josephine Genung. Abbe-Abbey Genealogy. In Memory of John Abbe and His Descendants. 1916. p.73. Link to page at archive.org.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J71X-L59 : 11 February 2018, Christopher Webb, 15 Aug 1601); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 1,041,254.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Vinton, John A., The Giles memorial. Genealogical memoirs of the families bearing the names of Giles, Gould, Holmes, Jennison, Leonard, Lindall, Curwen, Marshall, Robinson, Sampson, and Webb .... Boston: H. W. Dutton & son, 1864, p 499. Link to page at archive.org.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} South West Heritage Trust, Archive reference, 2935A/PR/1/3, Record set: Devon Marriage. Link to abstract and image at findmypast.com ($). See image attached to this profile.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JMPV-1Q6 : 11 February 2018, Christopher Webb, 28 Mar 1630); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 917,182.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N591-6Q9 : 11 February 2018, Christopher Webb in entry for Thomas Webb, 03 Jun 1632); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 917,182.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JWXD-JQB : 11 February 2018, Christopher Webb in entry for Sarah Webb, 22 Jun 1634); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 917,182.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} South West Heritage Trust, Archive reference: 2935A/PR/1/4, Record set: Devon Baptisms. Link to image at findmypast.com ($).
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} South West Heritage Trust, Archive reference: 2935A/PR/1/1, Record set: Devon Baptisms. Link to transcription and image at findmypast.com ($).
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} South West Heritage Trust, Archive reference: 2935A/PR/1/2, Record set: Devon Baptisms. Link to transcription and image at findmypast.com ($).
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} South West Heritage Trust, Archive Reference: 2935A/PR/1/3, Record set: Devon Burials. Link to transcription and image at findmypast.com ($).
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N25N-B6G : 10 February 2018), Christopher Webb and Humilitie Wheaton, 22 Apr 1628; citing Crediton,Devon,England, reference , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 917,184, 917,185.
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1 13.2} Shurtleff, Nathaniel B. Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England. Vol. II. 1853. p. 294. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} Shurtleff, Nathaniel B. Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England. Vol. II. 1853. p. 128. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Pattee, William S. A History of Old Braintree and Quincy, with Sketch of Randolph and Holbrook. 1878. pp 16-7. Link to pages at archive.org.
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} Hill, Don Gleason. The Early Records of the Town of Dedham, Massachusetts. 11636-1659. A Complete Transcript of Book One of the General Records of the Town, Together with the Selectmen's Day Book, Covering a Portion of the Same Period, Being Volume Three of the Printed Records of the Town. 1892. pp. 213-4. Link to page at archive.org.
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} Bates, Samuel A. Records of the Town of Braintree. 1640-1793. 1886. p. 7. Link to page at archive.org.
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3} Suffolk Probate Records, Vol. 7, pp 158-9 of the original volume. Link to pages at familysearch.org.
19. ↑ ^{19.0 19.1} Suffolk County, MA: Probate File Papers.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2017. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives. Digitized images provided by FamilySearch.org) Link to record at americanancestors.org ($).

See also:

• "Christopher Webb," webbdeiss.org, accessed online 03/23/19.
• Sprague, Waldo Chamberlain. Genealogies of the Families of Braintree, MA. 1640-1850 (2001), pages 1789-90. AmericanAncestors$
• Frank Dyer's WorldConnect Tree (note: link may time out, please refresh a couple of times)