Edward Blacksley (abt. 1600 - 1637)

Born about 1600 in England [uncertain]

Died 3 Nov 1637 at about age 37 in Roxbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Edward Blacksley migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 32) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Edward Blacksley/Blackley was an English immigrant and a resident of Roxbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1637.

Only three pieces of information are known about Edward:

• The burial of Edward Blacksley, widdower, was recorded at Roxbury 3 November 1637,^[1] indicating that his wife had already died.
• The inventory of the estate of Edward Blackley was recorded the 25th of the 10th month [December] 1637 at "Rocksbury" (Roxbury)^[2][3]
• The burial of Sarah Blacksley, "d. Edward," was recorded at Roxbury May __ 1638,^[1] indicating she was his unmarried daughter, not his widow.

Research Notes

Unknowns: There's absolutely no evidence for:

• When Edward arrived in New England (other than that it must have been before 1637)
• His age (other than that he must have been an adult).
• Sarah's age
• Where in England he came from nor who his parents were
• Who his wife was, when and where they married, whether she came to New England, nor when and where she died (other than that it must have been before 3 November 1637)
• Any other children they may have had, nor where, nor whether any others came to New England

Estimated Age: With the little information available, it's difficult to even estimate Edward's birth year. But considering a scenario where Edward's wife shortly predeceased him after giving birth to Sarah, they would have married by 1636. If Edward was average age of 25 at marriage, then perhaps he was born by 1611, but likely earlier. Assuming a 20 year range, a midpoint of 1600 has been used in this profile.

Is he the father of Esther Blakely, wife of John Bond? Some researchers believe Edward was the father of Hester or Esther Blakely, who married John Bond in Aug 1649 in Newbury. It's possible, but there's no evidence linking them other than the name similarity.

Claimed origins: Some internet trees believe he was the "Edwarde Blacksley sonne to Thomas Blacksley of Hardewick baptized the xiij day" of April 1599 in Banbury, Oxfordshire,^[4] but there's no evidence linking them other than the name similarity.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Vital records of Roxbury, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849. Salem, MA: The Essex Institute, 1926. v 2, p 466. American Ancestors (Free)
2. ↑ Trask, W.B., Abstracts of Wills of the Early Settlers of New England, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, 1853) Vol. 7, p. 29
3. ↑ Inventory images posted on Edward's FamilySearch profile
4. ↑ Ancestry.com. Oxfordshire, England, Church of England Baptism, Marriages, and Burials, 1538-1812 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Ancestry Record 61056 #426987

• Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration directory: immigrants to New England, 1620-1640: a concise compendium. Boston: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 2015, p. 32 ("Blackley, Edward: Unknown; 1637; Roxbury [RVR MS 96; SPR NS 1:7, 2:7]")