William Martin of Stratford and Woodbury Connecticut

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

Contents 1 WikiTree Pages of Interest 2 Bibliographic Notes 3 Research Notes 4 Sources

WikiTree Pages of Interest

• William Seaborn Martin (1653-1715)

• Dickinson-Bracy Notes

Bibliographic Notes

William Cothren, History of Ancient Woodbury, Connecticut ..., 3 vols, 1-2 paginated continuously (Waterbury, Conn., Bronson brothers, 1854-1879), 1:620-631 (Martin Family) at 621-623 (William Martin); digital images, HathiTrust. Text mentions different early Martin families of New England and then writes about Phebe,

"It is not impossible that this lady [Phebe] gave birth to a child on the voyage [to New England in 1650], whom she called William, from the name of her father, and Seaborn, from the circumstance of his birth ... The records of Wethersfield show no birth of any child of Samuel. as might be expected if William was born on the passage over, and the parties had no other children."

Thomas Martin Hay, Martin genealogy. Descendants of Lieutenant Samuel Martin of Wethersfield, Conn. ..., 2? vols. ([New York?], 1911), 1:8, 9-10 (1-Samuel Martin), 15-16 (4-William Martin); digital images, InternetArchive. Author amends and extends the story from History of Ancient Woodbury, Connecticut ... writing,

"Samuel Martin ... of New Haven and Wethersfield, Ct., was born in Devonshire, England, and emigrated from Plymouth to America about 1640-1645. He married Phebe Bracey, and that their son, William, was born on ship board when they came to this country, and was called William Seaborn Martin, is a tradition held persistently by their descendants generally."

"The recorded facts disprove this tradition, as Phebe Bracy lived in New Haven (a widow) several years prior to her marriage to Samuel Martin."

"However, the records state that in 1652, Samuel Martin, six years after he married Phebe Bracy, "went to London, England, and returned soon." Presumably, he had gone to visit his wife's father, William Bisby, a wealthy merchant of London. It is hardly supposable that he made the journey without his wife."

The records show that Samuel Martin was of too generous a nature to accumulate worldly goods to any great extent, and we would be justified in assuming his father-in-law supplied the means for the visit, and that he wished to see his daughter."

Phebe (Bisby) Brace or Bracey, widow of one Bracey, by whom she had five children in England (some of whom came to this country), was the oldest child and daughter of William Bisby, a gentleman of London, who contributed considerable sums of money for assisting emigration to America. "She came to this country in 1642; was at New Haven in 1644."

"'In 1646, Samuel Martin went from Wethersfield to New Haven, and married widow Phebe Bracey.'"

Research Notes

Sources