Mary (Cole) Luther (1689 - bef. 1786)

Born 8 Jul 1689 in Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Wife of Caleb Luther — married 18 Mar 1713 in Swansea, Bristol, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died before 23 Dec 1786 before age 97 in Warren, Bristol, Rhode Island, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Lydia Vierson [send private message]

Biography

When Mary (Cole) Luther was born ^[1] on July 8, 1689, in Swansea, Massachusetts, her father, John, was 29, and her mother, Susanna, was 27. She married Caleb Luther on March 18, 1713, in her hometown. ^[2] They had seven children in 15 years. She died shortly before 23 December 1786, when a death announcement for Mary Cole of Warren, Rhode Island "in the 99th year of her age" ran in the Providence Gazette.

Children of Caleb and Susannah

1. Freelove Luther 1715–1736
2. Susannah Luther 1717–1727
3. Hannah Luther 1720–1769
4. Caleb Luther 1723–1748
5. Jabez Luther 1725–1815
6. Samuel Luther 1727–1729
7. Frederick Luther 1730–1822

Research Notes

Death Date:

The death date of July 20, 1759, previously attributed to Mary (Cole) Luther in her profile is incorrect due to a misidentification. That date actually belongs to a different Mary Cole, who had parents named John and Susannah (Gray) Cole. She was buried at Plympton, and her gravestone indicates her death on July 20, 1759. The confusion stems from two women named Mary Cole in different locations and the identical names of their parents, leading to the incorrect assignment of the death date to one of them. For example, some family trees refer to specific sources for her death, such as Mayflower Births and Deaths, vol. 1, page 317, citing a transcription of Mary (Cole) Wright's gravestone from Mayflower Descendant, vol. 11, page 191. Hence, it is likely that Mary (Cole) Luther passed away on a different date.

Moreover, numerous family trees incorrectly state that her husband passed away on April 8, 1748. The Swansea town book records the death of a Caleb Luther, specifically Caleb Luther Jr., on this date. The record details the death of Caleb Luther Jr., son of Caleb Luther and Mary, who passed away by drowning in a small brook on April 8, 1748, at the age of 25.^[3] Again, the similarity in names has resulted in the incorrect belief in family trees that Mary's husband and son died on the same date, leading to confusion.

Now that the incorrect death dates for Mary and Caleb have been corrected, when did they actually die? Here is the context as to when they died: They lived in Swansea into the 1750s. After part of Swansea was split off and given to Rhode Island to create the new town of Warren in 1747, Caleb and Mary Luther were involved in buying and selling land there until the 1760s. For further details on their activities, you can explore the summary of land and property records below.

Furthermore, Caleb Luther appears just above Frederick Luther at Warren in the 1774 census of Rhode Island. Given their proximity as neighbors, it is reasonable to assume a familial relationship between Caleb and Frederick Luther, possibly father and son. Since their son named Caleb passed away in 1748, it suggests that Caleb, the father, might have still been alive in 1774. Caleb's absence in the 1777 Military Census, which included men over 60, suggests that he may have passed away between the 1774 and 1777 censuses. Once more, Caleb Luther is absent from the 1782 Rhode Island census, while a household led by Mary Luther, aged over 55, is recorded. She was alive in 1782, so she must have died sometime after 1782.

It is highly likely that the death reported in the newspaper clip linked to this profile is that of Mary. The Providence Gazette reported the death of Mrs. Mary Luther on December 23, 1786, at Warren, in the 99th year of her age. Although several other newspapers published this notice in the following weeks, none specified the exact date of her death.

Land and Property Records

25 April 1754 — Caleb Luther of Swanzey and Mary his wife formally discharged John Cole of Warren, executor of the last will and testament of "our Honoured Father John Cole" late of Warren deceased, stating that they had received their legacy as specified in the will.^[4]

1 March 1762 — Caleb Luther of of Swansey and Mary his wife sold their 48 acre homestead farm at Swansey with two dwelling houses, one occupied by them and one by their son Jabez Luther.^[5]

21 February 1763 — Caleb Luther of Swanzey purchased 42 acres at Warren.^[6]

28 April 1763 — Caleb Luther of Warren, yeoman, "in Consideration of Love good will and naturall affection I have and Do bear Towards my Dutiful Son Frederick Luther" of Warren, labourer, gifted Frederick about 12 acres lying partly in Swansey and partly in Warren.^[7]

17 July 1767 — Caleb Luther and Frederick Luther both of Warren, yeomans, together with Mary and Joanna their wives, sold 14 acres lying partly in Warren and partly in Swanzey to Isaac Cole of Warren, yeoman.^[8]

Sources

1. ↑ Birth Citation for Mary, daughter of John & Susannah:
2. ↑ Family, marriage & children from EB Cole's book
3. ↑ Rounds: Page 214.
4. ↑ Warren, Rhode Island Deeds vol. 1 page 259
5. ↑ Birstol County, Massachusetts, Deeds vol. 46 pages 272-3
6. ↑ Warren, Rhode Island, Deeds vol. 1 page 488
7. ↑ Warren, Rhode Island Deeds vol. 1 page 491
8. ↑ Warren, Rhode Island, Deeds vol. 2 page 169

See Also

• Birth Citation for Mary, daughter of John & Susannah: Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1621-1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016); https://www.americanancestors.org/DB190/i/13932/14/251743201
• Memorial for Mary and links to family at Find a Grave
• Family, marriage & children from EB Cole's book; "The Descendants of James Cole of Plymouth 1633"; by Ernest Byron Cole (Grafton Press, New York, 1908) pp. 44 (64)
• Rounds, H. L. Peter. Vital Records of Swansea, Massachusetts to 1850 (New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1992)

Note:

• WikiTree profile Cole-3504 created through the import of my family 10.ged on Aug 1, 2012 by Lydia Vierson. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Lydia and others.