1646 Hingham 'Peck' Baptisms

Date: 19 Jul 1646 [unknown]
Location: Hingham, Massachusetts
Surname/tag: Peck, Packard, Packer

Hobart's Journal (which records various vital records in 17th century Hingham, Massachusetts) contains an entry on July 19, 1646 that indicates that "Israell Hodsen & Elezebeth Samuell Hannah Israell Peck" were baptized on that day.^[1] The genealogy of Joseph Peck in the History of Hingham read this to relate to the baptisms of Samuel, Hannah and Israel Peck and read the entry as not saying that Elezebeth part of the same family as Samuel, Hannah and Israel.^[2]

Packard genealogist, however, say that the surname "Peck" in the entry was a recordation or transcription error and that the entry referred to the baptism of Samuel Packer/Packard's children Elizabeth, Samuel, Hannah and Israel. See, e.g.,Samuel Packard, The Plymouth Colony Pages. plymouthcolony.net.

The Packard genealogists are very probably correct for the following reasons:

1. The more natural reading of the baptismal entry is that Elizabeth was also part of the "Pecks" who were getting baptized. Joseph Peck did not have a daughter named Elizabeth, while Samuel Packer/Packard did.

1. Joseph Peck had already had children named Samuel and Israel baptized in Hingham in Feb 1638/9^[3] and March 1633/4),^[4] respectively. And there is no record of him having a daughter named Hannah except for the baptism. So reading the record literally as Joseph Peck's children would require that two of his sons died young, he had two more sons to whom he gave the same namdes, and he had a daughter named Hannah for whom there is no further record. No such gymnastics are needed if the entry relates to the baptisms of Samuel Packer/Packard children.

1. The clincher is that Israel Peck's 1718 will states that he was in his 76th year when he made the will,^[5] which would mean that he was born about 1633. This strongly suggests that Israel must have been the Israel Peck who was baptized in March 1633/4 and thus the 1646 baptism for Israel Peck must relate to someone else.

The consequences of the conclusion that 1646 "Peck" baptisms actually relate to the baptisms of Samuel Packer/Packard's children are: (1) genealogies of Joseph Peck should show that Joseph only had one son Samuel and one son Israel and that they were born before Feb 1638/9 and March 1633/4, respectively, and did not die young, (2) genealogies of Joseph Peck should not show that he had a daughter named Hannah, (3) as a consequence of (1) and (2), genealogies of Joseph Peck should show that he had 8 children, not 11, and (4) genealogies for Samuel Packer/Packard should show that his children Elizabeth, Samuel, Israel and Hannah were indeed baptized in Hingham on July 19, 1646.

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^{[2] [5] [3] [4] [1]}

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} The Hobart Journal. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Vol 121 (1967). p 19. Link to page at americanancestors.org.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts. In Three Volumes. Volume II. Genealogical. Published by the Town, 1893. Link to page at archive.org.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} The Hobart Journal. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Vol 121 (1967). p 11. Link to page at americanancestors.org.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} The Hobart Journal. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Vol 121 (1967). p 16. Link to page at americanancestors.org.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Records of Early Barrington Families, barrington.ri.gov