James Welch Sr. (1655 - 1726)

Born 1655 in Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts Bay

Husband of Mercy (Sabin) Welch — married 9 Nov 1683 in Rehoboth, Plymouth Colony

Descendants

Died 22 Nov 1726 at about age 71 in Plainfield, Windham, Connecticut

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This profile is part of the Welch Name Study.

Biography

From Find A Grave Memorial: The American founder of this WELCH family.

James is our earliest ancestor which can be supported by existing documentation. No documentation has yet been found to indicate who James Welch's parents were.

The origin of this JAMES WELCH Sr. has not been learned. He was NOT the soldier of King Philip's war, awarded bounty land at Voluntown, CT, with a son James who lived and died at Colchester, CT. The two entirely different families with the same names have often been confused. (Mayflower Families Through Five Generations Vol Five John Billington pgs 56-57)

JAMES WELCH SR. of Swansea, Bristol Co. MA who d. Plainfield, Windham Co. CT bef. 22 Nov. 1726 when his estate was filed. Married at Rehoboth, Bristol Co. MA 9 Nov. 1683 MERCY/MARCY SABIN b. 8 Mar 1665/6 d. aft. 18 June 1728 in Killingly, Windham Co. CT. This family lived in Swansea until 1686/7, in Rehoboth until 1701, briefly in Bristol, MA (now RI) and were in Plainfield CT by 1704. The births of their children are recorded variously in Swansea, Rehoboth, Bristol and Plainfield. On 8 and 9 March 1723/4 James Welch Sr deeded "for love" to sons John Welch and Ebenezer Welch land at Plainfield. Administration on the estate of James Welch was granted to eldest son, James 22 Nov 1726. The inventory, taken by Joshua Whitney, Philip Bump and Joseph Lawrence, was recorded 10 Feb 1726/7. The widow's third was set off to "Relick Marcy" 18 June 1728, and shares to James, eldest son; Samuel, 2nd son; Thomas, 3rd son; and daus. Elizabeth Lawrence, Mercy Spaulding and Martha Welch, the others having had their portion. A Voluntown CT deed of 18 June 1728 shows that James Welch of Voluntown, Thomas Welch of Windham, Thomas Spaulding and wife Mercy of Plainfield, Daniel Lawrence and wife Elizabeth of Killingly, and Martha Welch of Plainfield CT conveyed "for love to our brother Samuel Welch of Voluntown, 100 acres where said Samuel now lives, being land of which our father James Welch died seized."

Married Mercy/Marcy Sabin (1665/6-aft Jun 1728) daughter of Samuel (ca 1640-1699) and Mary Billington (ca 1640-aft 28 Jun 1717) on 9 Nov 1683 at Rehoboth, Bristol Co. MA.^[1] Mercy/Marcy Sabin Welch was received into the First Church of Christ, Bristol, RI, June 29th, 1701. Seven of her children were baptized March 29th, 1702, at the First Church of Christ, Rhode Island.

Plainfield, [Windham Co.,] Connecticut, was granted to Gov. John WINTHROP of New London, about 1655, settled from Massachusetts, and incorporated 1699; and contained, Dec. 24, 1702, the following freeholders, residing on the East side of Quinebaug River:-- James WELTCH

Windham, Connecticut Probate District Records, 1719-1734, Volume 1 By George Waller

22 Nov 1726 Letters of adm on est of Mr. James Welch of Plainfield decd granted to James Welch eldest son of sd decd. Bond: Mr. Benjamin Clark and Ebenezer Welch. Inv exh. 18 Jun 1728 Quietus est granted to Mr. James Welch adm.

1726 inv of James Welch, decd by Deac Joshua Whitney, Phillip Bump, Joseph Lawrence. Incl: Bible, land at Voluntown. Total: est £117

11 Jun 1728 an addition to the est of James Welch of Plainfield, decd by James Welch admin.

18 Jun 1728 pursuant to court order of 12 Jun 1728, John Fellows, Ebenezeer Harris, Phillip Bump distr, the est of Mr. James Welch of Plainfield, decd. To Mrs. Marcy Welch, widow; to James Welch, eldest son; to Samuel Welch 2nd son; to Elizabeth Lawrence eldest dau; to Marcy Spaulding 2nd dau; to Martha Welch 3rd dau; to Ebenezer and John Welch, sons.

Samuel Welch of Voluntown; Thomas Welch of Windham, Daniel Lawrence of Killingly and Thomas Spaulding of Plainfield all appeared in court re James Welch's est.

TOWN CLERK'S OFFICE, VOLUNTOWN, December 23, 1860. A list of the Names of the English Volunteers in the late Narraganset War, as followeth: James Welch NOTE: Connecticut's volunteers, in 1701, were found to be about one hundred and eighty.

CHILDREN of James and Mercy/Marcy Sabin Welch:

• John
• Elizabeth (Lawrence)
• Marcy (Spaulding)
• James (administrator of his father's estate)
• Samuel
• Thomas
• Ebenezer
• John again
• Deborah
• Martha^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016). https://www.americanancestors.org/DB190/rd/14010/381/253486444 Rehoboth, Vol 1, Page 381 James Welch and Mery Saben married Nob 9 1683 in Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts.
2. ↑ Cutter, William Richard. Genealogy and Family History in the State of Rhode Island, page 863

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/82219184/james-welch
• Roser, Susan E. Mayflower Births and Deaths: From the Files of George Ernest Bowman at the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants. Volumes 1 & 2. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1992.

Acknowledgements

Welch-3696 was created by Gillby Weldon through the import of Foxes_2 -- wiki.ged on Jul 28, 2015.