Godfrey Armitage (abt. 1617 - bef. 1675)

Born about 1617 in England [uncertain]

Husband of Sarah (Webb) Armitage — married about 1640 in Boston, Massachusetts Bay [uncertain]

Husband of Mary (Cogswell) Armitage — married 1649 in Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died before 11 Feb 1675 before about age 58 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Godfrey Armitage migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Birth

Godfrey Armitage born about 1617 in England, perhaps in Westbury Leigh, Wiltshire, England. Alternatively, a Godfray Armitage was baptized on 15 Dec 1616) in Bristwell, Thornhill, Yorkshire, England^[1] More research needed.

Arrival in America

The first of the name in America were the brothers, Godfrey and Joseph Armitage, who came from England to Lynn, Massachusetts, possibly as early as 1630.^[2], more likely in 1635 on the James of Bristol. Godfrey was made Freeman of Massachusetts Bay on 14 March 1638-9^[3]

Godfrey and his elder brother Joseph were studied in depth by Rebecca Berry, in a 1999 article that reveals that while Godfrey, a tailor by trade, had a respectable career in Boston after removing there about 1651, Joseph remained in Lynn and was hardly a model citizen.^[4]

Marriages

Godfrey married twice.

1. Sarah Webb in 1640.
2. Mary Cogswell in 1649 in Massachusetts. She was the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Thompson) Cogswell, born in Westbury Leigh, County of Wilts, England. ^[2]

Will of Rebekah Webb, mother of Godfrey's First Wife

Rebekah Webb , a widow, the mother of Godfrey Armitage's wife, died in 1669, leaving all her property to her grandchild Rebekah Armitage . This will, dated 10 Dec 1654, is on record among the early wills of Boston, and runs in this primitive fashion :

Rebekah Webb Grandchild Rebekah Armitage sole executrix to pay all my debts possess all my goods debts and estate Loveing friends Thomas Butolph and Peter Oliver Administrators Committ unto ym the care of said grandchild and my said goods debts goods or estate to improoue to the best behoofe of said Grandchild also to dispose of her in marriage if she live to be capable thereol or at sixteene years of age then she hath liberty to dispose of hir estate hir selfe in case God take hir away by death before marriage but at twenty years she hath power over hir estate but not of hir person in marriage without the consent of hir father Godfrey Armitage Thomas Butolph & Peter Oliver If God take away said Rebekah by death before the age of sixteene years then Administrators & Sonn Armitage have all my estate to be equally divided anions ym they paying such legacys asfolloweth vizt to Seaborne Cotton and John Cotton forty Shillings apiece To Mr John Wilson Junior forty shillings to his sister dauenport Danfbrth forty shillings for her love and care of said grand child and sixe pounds a year with her for two years Above named Administrators and said sonn in law twenty shillings a piece Witness my hand 10th of Dee 1654 Rebekah Webb W her mark.^[5]

Later Life

Mary's brother John Cogswell, Jr. made mention of Armitage in a letter to his parents when he was visiting London in March 1653. Godfrey was one of the executors of the will of this John Cogswell, Jr. He was named overseer in another will, and appointed to take the inventory at least 4 times in other probates.^[6]

Death and Burial

Godfrey died in before 11 February 1674/5 (when his will was proved), in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts. His burial place is unknown. There is a virtual memorial for him at Find A Grave: Memorial #104011313.

Godfrey's 1674 Will

Godfrey wrote his will on 22 Dec 1674, and it was proved 11 Feb 1674/5. He left a legacy of L.10 to his “loving daughter Rebekah Tarbox” she having been then four years the wife of Samuel Tarbox, L.20 to son Samuel, to be paid within three months. He left the rest of his estate to his wife Mary during her life and, upon her demise, 2/3 to son Samuel and the remaining 1/3 to ________(perhaps son John, but obliterated in the image by the folding of the paper.) Also mentioned was his brother Joseph, to whom he willed his shag coats and best felt(?) hat. The inventory, with hardly any details was valued at L120, and dated December 1690.<sic)^[7][8]

Children

Godfrey and Sarah Webb Armitage had, in Lynn:^[9][4]

1. Rebekah, born 4 April 1641 in Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts Bay. She married Samuel Tarbox (c. 1647-c. 1715) on 14 November 1664 in Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts.^[10] Mentioned in father's will. Rebekah died 4 March 1676-7 in Lynn,Massachusetts.
2. Samuel, born 7 October 1645, and died in childhood.
3. John, born 16 Aug 1648, bp. in Lynn 20 Aug 1648, ^[11] named in an account dated 5 Dec 1673 asking payment for work and materials supplied to the ship Anthony. Mentioned in father's will.
4. Samuel, b. 22 Feb, 1649/50, bp in Lynn 2 days later, per Boston First Church records.,^[12], presumably died in infancy.

Godfrey and Mary Cogswell Armitage had, in Boston:^[2]

1. Samuel who was born 14 April 1651 or 1652, baptized 18 Apr 1651 or 1652.^[13][14] He was willed 10 shillings by Elizabeth Bitfield who died 30 Sep 1669. Mentioned in father's will There is mention in 1674 of Samuel Armitage of Boston, was a sergeant receiving £10 a year for carrying the halberd.

not sure what to do with the following:

Mother: Ann Halliwell Born 1610 in England Died 1671 in England ? ^[15]

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CVW1-KW6Z : 3 February 2023), Godfrey Armatage, 1616.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Jameson, Ephraim, Orcutt. Cogswells in America. Boston: A. Mudge & son, printers, 1884, p. 8.
3. ↑ Massachusetts Bay Colony Records, Vol. I, p. 375, cited by Anderson
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "The Armitage brothers - Joseph of Lynn and Godfrey of Boston", The Essex Genealogist, Vol. 18, pp. 229-235.
5. ↑ The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 42. (Google eBook)
6. ↑ Trask, William B., Suffolk County Wills - Abstracts of the earliest Wills upon Record in the county of Suffolk, Massachusetts, (Baltimore, 1984, Genealogical Publishing Company), pp. 138, 147, 169, 207, 243
7. ↑ Suffolk County Probate Records, 1657, case 723, page 3, image viewed on anmeicanancestors.org($)
8. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #104011313
9. ↑ The New England Historical and Genealogical Register ..., Volume 42; Volume 1888 By New England Historic Gen Society
10. ↑ Vital records of Lynn, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849 Vol. w P. 368
11. ↑ City Document 130, p. 28, citing Boston first church records
12. ↑ Report of commissioners, City Document 130, p. 31
13. ↑ Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook). Image of hand-written summary, page 1, viewed on ancestry.com($)
14. ↑ Report of Commissioners, 130, Boston Births, p. 39 viewed on ancestry.com. which shows the birth and the baptism both in 1651 and 1652
15. ↑ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~newenglandancestors/pafg148.htm#3402

See Also:

• Cogswell Family Association web site [1]
• Cogswell, Donald J. Descendants of John Cogswell. Unknown: Unknown, 1998.
• Massachusetts Applications of Freemen, 1630-91 about Godfrey Armitage. 14 March 1638/39. Paige, Lucius R. "List of Freemen of Massachusetts." Boston, MA: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1849. Vol. I, p. 196.
• Tarbox, Rev. Increase N. John Tarbox of Lynn and His Descendants for Five Generations. Boston, MA: David Clapp & Son, printers, January 1888. https://cslib.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4005coll11/id/486/
• Entered from the Genealogy worksheets compiled by Ralph Pryor during his 40 years of research, traveling extensively in the military and in retirement. Entered by Greg Rose, Grandson.
• New England Historical & Genealogical Society. The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, Volume 42, 1888.
• Massachusetts Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890 about Godfrey Armitage. 1639 Freeman, 14 March Massachusetts Colony
• Berry, Rebecca. "The Armitage Brothers: Joseph of Lynn and Godfrey of Boston." The Essex Genealogist. vol 18, pp 233-34. American Ancestors (subscription).
• Find A Grave Index.

Acknowledgements

1. Greg Rose created Armitage-574 on 29 Dec 13.
2. Darlene Scott Kerr created Armitage-584 on 16 March 2014, added bio and sources. Merged 574 and 584 on 6 August 2017, cleaned merge.