Bethia Bryant (1670)

Born 25 Jul 1670 in Plymouth, Plymouth County, British Colonial America

Ancestors

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Biography

Bethiah Bryant , daughter of John Bryant and Abigail Bryant was born on July 25, 1670, at Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts.^[1][2] Not much is known about Bethia other than her birth date. Some indicate that she was the wife of Samuel Waterman, but no conclusive evidence has been found.

Research Notes

• Per Donald Lines Jacobus in his book "The Waterman Family":

"Great effort to learn the identity of Bethia has been fruitless. A strong possibility is Bethia Bryant, b. 25 July 1670 . . ."^[3]

• She is possibly Bethia (Unknown) Waterman, widow of Samuel Waterman (1666-1718), who died 29 January 1726, at Plympton, Massachusetts.^[4] Evidence substantiating this marriage has yet to found.

• Donald Lines Jacobus, 1887-1970, briefly addresses the family in his book “The Waterman family,” he also addresses only the possibility of Bethia being Bethia Bryant, daughter of Lt. John Bryant of Plymouth and Abigail Bryant.^[3]
• In the book "The Maine Watermans: with an account of their ancestors in Massachusetts ...," Charles Elmer Waterman doesn't even address Bethia.^[5]
• As of 3 March 2019, In the article on "Lt. John Bryant of Plymouth," and subsequent articles in the New England Historic Genealogical Register, the connection between Samuel Waterman and Bethiah Bryant is not addressed.^[1]

• Recommendation to Find-A-Grave:Recommend removing the maiden name Bryant. Per Donald Lines Jacobus in his book "The Waterman Family":

"Great effort to learn the identity of Bethia has been fruitless. A strong possibility is Bethia Bryant, b. 25 July 1670 . . ."

(Jacobus, Donald Lines, 1887-1970, The Waterman family, V1, pg. 31, pg. 632, E.F. Waterman, New Haven Conn., 1939.)

I have also researched this in detail. There are no land transactions between the Waterman Family and Bryant family, and the only place I found any connection between the two families is in Plymouth Town Records, volume 1, where John Waterman, Sr. and Lt. John Bryant served on a Grand Jury together. Although I believe she is Bethia Bryant, as Jacobus and other professionals (not me) concluded by not making the connection there is insufficient evidence.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, V35(1881), pg. 38, Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2018.)
2. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29L-LB16 : 3 November 2017), Bethiah Bryant, 25 Jul 1670; citing Birth, Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States, , town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm 416,334.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Jacobus, Donald Lines, 1887-1970, The Waterman family, V1, pg. 31, pg. 632, E.F. Waterman, New Haven Conn., 1939.
4. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 02 March 2019), memorial page for Bethia Bryant Waterman (1667–29 Jan 1726), [Find A Grave: Memorial #43989222, citing Hillcrest Cemetery, Plympton, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by Joan Ellis Pulis (contributor 47051328) .
5. ↑ Charles Elmer Waterman, The Maine Watermans: with an account of their ancestors in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, pg. 27, Ledger Pub. Co., 1906.