Elizabeth Notes

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]

Elizabeth (UNKNOWN) Rose (abt.1610-1677)
Elizabeth (Wood) Parker (abt.1608-1677)

Unsourced text that appeared below the sources on Wood-36290 was moved here to ease the burden of her merge into Unknown-30448.

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Birth name: Elizabeth unknown. Married names Elizabeth Potter Elizabeth Parker Elizabeth Rose <br>Gender: Female<br&gt.

Marriage: To Edward Parker July 1646 - New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut, British Colonial America<br>

Marriage to Robert Rose : From 1664 - New Haven, Connecticut, British Colonial America<br&gt

Death

July 28 1677 - New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut, British Colonial America<br>Burial: 1677 - Center Church on the Green, New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut, British Colonial America<br>

Parents: unknown. spouses: <a>Edward J. Parker</a>, <a>Robert Rose</a>&lt;br&gt;Children: <a>Mary Hall (born Parker)</a>, <a>John Parker</a>, <a>Hope Cooke (born Parker)</a>, <a>Lydia Thomas (born Parker)</a>&lt;br&gt;Siblings: <a>Susan Wood</a>, <a>Mary Wood</a>, <a>Rebecca Woodcock (born Wood)</a>, <a>Hannah Shelton (born Wood)</a>, <a>Mary Platt (born Wood)</a>, <a>Susan Wood</a>, <a>Elizabeth Wood</a>&lt;br&gt;

This person appears to have duplicated relatives. View it on FamilySearch to see the full information.&lt;br&gt;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Additional information: Will:made her will 23 Jul 1677 and died28 July without signing itLifeSketch:Elizabeth (____) Potter Parker Rose of New Haven was born about 1610-1613, based on her estimated first marriage date and birth of her oldest child. See https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/UNKNOWN-30448.

It had been assumed by many that this Elizabeth was the same person as the Elizabeth Wood who married a John Potter at Chesham, Buckinghamshire in 1630. However, Patricia Law Hatcher has disproven that assertion, as she found in the parish register of St. Thomas at the Cliff, Lewes, Sussex, the English origins of the Potter family who came to New Haven in 1635-9. Patricia Law Hatcher, "English Origin of the Potter and Beecher Families of New Haven, Connecticut," in The American Genealogist, 79 (2004):28.

William & Hannah (Langford) Potter were indisputably at Lewes from the date of their marriage in 1607 through Williams death in 1619, followed in January, 1620 by Hannah's marriage to second husband John Beecher. However, after1620 there are no entries in the St. Thomas parish register for this family. Thus there is no evidence for the marriage of John and Elizabeth Potter at St. Thomas, or for the christening of their children there.

Some have assumed that John Potter and Elizabeth married about 1635, which may be correct. The complications is with the marriage of John Potter's daughter Hannah Potter in 1650. Probably Hannah turned 18 that year (as she was still in her minority in 1649), and thus was born in about 1632. The explanation is that Elizabeth was actually John Potter's second wife, and thus technically a stepmother to Hannah. John Potter's brother William and their stepfather John Beecher had come to New England in 1635. Some assert that John Potter came at the same time. However, he is conspicuously absent from the passenger list of the ship that brought William Porter and the Beechers to Massachusetts Bay in 1635, and there is no evidence at all to support John Potter's arrival in New England prior to 1639, when he signed the Plantation Covenant in New Haven.

It has been nearly universally believed that John and Elizabeth Potter had three children: Hannah, John Jr. and Samuel, between 1632 and 1643. However, there is also the possibility that Elizabeth was actually John Potter's second wife, and that Hannah and John Potter Jr. were the children of a first wife who has previously escaped notice. Notably, assiduous search for a christening in England of a John Porter, son of John & Elizabeth Porter, has been fruitless. Nevertheless, we find at Alfriston, a parish located eight miles southeast of Lewes, the christening of "John ye sun of John Potter, March 22 [1634/55]. See FHL film # 004428680, at image page 35 (Alfriston Bishop's Transcripts). This is a close match for John Potter's statement when he wrote his will, in 1706, that he was "about 70" years of age. I believe that this is the christening record of John Porter Jr., later of New Haven, Connecticut. The one complication is that he was not the biological son of Elizabeth (_____) Potter Parker Rose. Rather, it seems that his mother was a Mrs. Joan (___) Potter.

The Alfriston vicar recorded the following burial when John was just three and a half years old: "Buried Anno Domini 1638 in the p[ar]ish of Alfriston: .... Jone the wife of John Potter October 14." [image page 39] Based on this information, I believe that John Potter's first wife Joan ("Jone") died in October of 1638, and that John Potter either married Elizabeth shortly thereafter in England, or came to New England as a widower and married Elizabeth in America. One might argue that this theory cannot be correct because Elizabeth (_____) Potter Parker Rose, in her will, referred to John Potter Jr. as her "son" and to his sister Hannah as "my Daughter Brooks." In reality, though, Elizabeth as stepmother would have assumed the role of mother immediately, and there are innumerable examples in New England of people referring to "sons and daughters" who were actually stepchildren or sons or daughters in law.

In any event, John Potter and family were in New Haven by 1639, when John signed the Plantation Covenant. John Potter died by the end of 1643 or shortly thereafter, as his name does not appear on a list of inhabitants of New Havenin 1644. Elizabeth then married (second), between June and July 1646, Edward Parker. The church did not approve of this marriage, but it went forward. Edward Parker died in 1662. Elizabeth married(third) Robert Rose of Branford; he died in 1665. According to the "Records of the Colony and Plantation of New Haven, from 1638 to 1649," three women, Mrs. Brewster, Mrs. Moore & Mrs. Leach, were charged on June 2nd 1646 for "several miscarriages of a public nature." Elizabeth Smith, Mrs. Leach's servant, and fellow servant Jacob Hall, bring several complaints and charges to the courts, the 12th involving Edward Parker. Widow Potter states that she would not leave Edward. Mrs. Brewster was heard stating that he was not under scandal, but that rather he "had not given satisfaction to the elder," and as a result "they would not let him marry her." T he report goes on to explain that Edward and widow Potter understood the church's proceedings, but wanted clarification as to the reasons as to why Elizabeth was being kept out of the church and whether it was because she would not part with Edward. Apparently, Edward told Mrs. Brewster that he did not know whether the church was against the marriage or not. The church "did not make the match, nor did they go about to break it off, but they advised him to walk accordingly to rule." Mrs. Brewster did not agree with these proceedings and advised him to take two or three people and appeal to the magistrate. Mrs. Brewster denied this particular allegation and stated that widow Potter and Edward were trying to "currey favor" in order to gain admittance to the church again. Edward Parker died in 1662. Elizabeth then married (3) Robert Rose, who died in 1665.c 1650, and (2) 21 Dec 1676 Henry Brooks. Elizabeth (_____) Potter Parker Rose, in her 1677 will, referred to Hannah as "my daughter Brooks." She survived her husband and died as "widow Hannah Brooks" 7 Nov 1723, when she would have been about 90 years old. 2. John Potter [Jr]; born about 1635 or 1636; in 1646, he was apprenticed for eight years to Roger Allen. He md 1 Hannah Cooper who d. 15 Jun 1675; he md 2 Mary Russell 29 Dec 1679; he died 24 Dec 1706. 3. Samuel Potter, b abt 1639; m 21 Nov 1670 Annah, dau of William Russell. With Edward Parker: 4. Mary Parker, bpt 27 Aug 1648; m. 6 Dec 1666 John Hall of Wallingford, CT 5. John Parker, bpt 8 Oct 1648; md 8 Nov 1670 Hannah Bassett 6. Hope Parker, b Apr 26, bpt 26 May 1650; m. 2 May 1667 Samuel Cook of Wallingford, CT 7. Lydia Parker, b 14 Apr 1652; m 12 Jan 1671 John Thomas.

[Avoid using a birth date of 14 Apr 1606 and place of Chesham, Bucks., England, which describes the Elizabeth Wood who married a John Potter there in 1630. There is explanation for John Potter traveling that far from Sussex to find a wife. Much more likely, the John Potter who married Elizabeth Wood in her home town of Chesham was from elsewhere in Buckinghamshire, such as the Potter family of Newport-Pagnell.]

Elizabeth died leaving a will dated 23 July 1677, (3:150-156; 8:1459), but Elizabeth died on the 28th before she signed it. As a testament to the respect the children had for her wishes, they agreed to abide by the unsigned will, which was then admitted to probate. The last will of Elizabeth Rose, widdow of N. Haven deceased: "Know all whom it may concern that I Elizabeth Rose of New Haven widdow being weak in body yet of competent sound understanding and memory doe make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner and form following; committing my soule into ye hands of Jesus Christ my redemer and my body to a descent buriall according to ye discretion of my executors hereafter to be named; I dispose of my outward estate as followeth. Item I doe give and bequeath unto my two sons John POTTER and Samll. POTTER twenty shillings a piece. Item. To my son John PARKER my house he lives in with all my land and meadow and all the rights & priveledges thereunto belonging. Item. To my daughter BROOKS twenty shillings. Item. To my daughter HALL my small bible, and to my daughter COOKE my best sute of apparrell. Item. To all my grandchildren twelve pence a piece. Item. After all my debts & legacyes be paid and other necessary expenses discharged my will is that ye remainder of my estate be equally divided between my three daughters Mary, Hope, & Lydia. And I doe desire and appoint my two sons John POTTER and John PARKER joint Executors of this my last will and testament and I doe allow them to have out of my estate ten shillings a piece for their care and paynes therein. And I doe hereby revoke all former wills and declare and publish this to be my last will and testament to which I put my hand and seal this three and twentyeth day of July one thousand six hundred and seventy seven, 1677." The inventory of her estate amounted to 49 pounds 11 shillings and nine 9 denari (about $13,000 in 2021 dollars). Elizabeth must have been buried in New Haven Green, the only burying place for New Haven until 1797. No gravestone exists for Elizabeth. Among her descendants are Sir Winston Churchill and H. Tracy Hall, first man to synthesize diamond.83) Vol. 1, Page 157. Shepard, James. The New Haven (Conn.) Potters, 1639, The New England Hist. & Gen. Register Vol. 54, Page 20-6 Hoadly, Charles. Records of the Colony and Plantation of New Haven (Case, Tiffany and Co., 1857) Vol. 1, Page 242 Parish Registers of St. Thomas at the Cliff (Lewes) and Alfriston, Sussex. -- Barry Wood, 8 Jan 2021.

Sources