Unknown (Tibbitts) Tanner (abt. 1664 - abt. 1688)

Born about 1664 in Kingston, Kings County, Colony Of Rhode Island And Providence Plantations

Ancestors

Wife of William Tanner Sr. — married 1685 in Rochester, Rhode Island [uncertain]

Descendants

Died about 1688 at about age 24 in Kingston, Kings County, Colony Of Rhode Island And Providence Plantations

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Biography

As of Jan 2022, what is known of the first marriage of William Tanner is derived from a solitary primary source document and that document is the Last Will and Testament of Henry Tibbitts, or rather a paraphrase and quotes of the Henry Tibbitt's will as recorded in John Austin's Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island and George Tanner's 1905 Tanner Genealogy. Of the two, Austin's ^[1] (Austin Page 202) record of Henry Tibbitts' will, written 27 Nov 1708 and proved 13 July 1713, is more complete and notes a bequest, "To grandson William Tanner, land purchased of Thomas Stanton of Stonington, and five loads of hay." This bequest infers that grandson William Tanner is an adult and of sufficient age to engage in independent farming operations because the five loads of hay are perishable and would require immediate care; furthermore the hay would need to be consumed in livestock operations within a year or so to retain its' value. Thus from this bequest we can infer that grandson William Tanner was (at a minimum) in his early to mid-twenties in 1708; his mother, ____ Tibbitts, daughter of Henry Tibbitts, was deceased prior to 1708; his father was ____ Tanner, born sometime prior to 1666; he was almost certainly the sole surviving child of the marriage union of ____ Tanner and ____ Tibbitts, (asserted because grandfather Henry Tibbitts named multiple grandsons and grand daughters as heirs of other deceased children in his will); and that William Tanner Jr. hence became a land owner. The will notes that the land inherited by William Tanner was sold to Henry Tibbitts by Thomas Stanton of Stonington, Connecticut, thus suggesting the land William inherited was nearby. Thus, the identification of the father of this grandson-heir of Henry Tibbitts, William Tanner (Jr.), to be William Tanner (Sr.) is a deduction based on a dual requirement criteria that the father was born in 1666, or earlier, and was physically located in Rhode Island near Henry Tibbitts at his courting age, that is to say about 1685 or earlier. The possible candidates meeting this criteria is a very short list of one; please refer to the profile of William Tanner Sr. where it is demonstrated that as early as 1682, and then again in 1687, that William Tanner Sr. was the only adult male Tanner living in Kingstown, King's County, Rhode Island and available to be the husband of ____ Tibbits (dau. of Henry Tibbitts) and the father of William Tanner Jr. This last will and testament of her father, Henry Tibbitts, also provides the names of her mother and siblings as follows:

• Heirs of Henry Tibbitts named in his will, (children all presumed to be by his wife, Sarah):
  • George Tibbitts. Named as executor of the will and heir to certain lands implied to be the homestead of Henry Tibbitts as his mother is bequeathed half this land and housing while she remains a widow.
  • John Tibbitts. Bequests the land in East Greenwich where John now lives.
  • Mary (Tibbitts) Greene, eldest daughter and wife of Edward Greene of Aquidneset. Bequest of £20 4s.
  • Sarah (Tibbitts) Hall: wife of William Hall. Bequest of £20.
  • Martha (Tibbitts) Stanton; wife of Benjamin Stanton. Bequest of £20.
  • Henry Tibbitts III, deceased, to Rebeccah Tibbitts, widow of Henry III, £5
    • Thomas Tibbitts, £5
    • Henry Tibbitts IV, £5
    • William Tibbitts, £5
    • Rebecca Tibbitts, £5
    • Avis Tibbitts, £5
    • Dinah Tibbitts, £5
  • ____ (Tibbitts) Fones, deceased daughter, wife of Samuel Fones
    • Anne Fones, £10
  • ____ (Tibbitts) Tanner, deceased daughter and wife of William Tanner {Sr.}.
    • William Tanner Jr., heir to lands purchased by Henry Tibbets of Thomas Stanton and five loads of hay.

Austin's 1887 Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island ^[1] (Page 451) is also the originating source of the mis-identification of the mother of William Tanner (Jr.) as Hannah Tibbitts. On page 451, Austin asserts that it was ____ Tibbitts who was the Hannah Tanner identified as the wife of William Tanner and the mother of William Tanner and four other children born between 1712 and 1725 as recorded in the North Kingston, RI Vital Records ^[2](Page 103-104). However, it is a simple matter to show that this assertion is self-contradictory and absurdly incorrect because this Hannah Tanner was very much alive and making babies between 1712 and 1725, when the will of Henry Tibbitts makes it perfectly clear that his daughter, ____ (Tibbitts) Tanner, was deceased prior to writing of his will on 27 Nov 1708. Therefore Austin's assertion that ____ Tibbitts was Hannah Tibbitts is just plain wrong, however because this assertion appears in a published genealogy, it has been often and uncritically repeated in subsequent secondary literature, an example of which may be seen in the 1904 "Harris Genealogy". ^[3]

Genealogical Records

The following section of this profile provides detailed information found in the various cited sources. The purpose of this section is to provide the reader access to the information contained within the cited sources; to identify source data conflicts and identify the origin of data errors; and, finally, to provide a platform to analyze, cross-correlate, and comment on important aspects of the cited historical data record.

Vital Records

The following North Kingstown birth records for four children of William and Hannah Tanner is cited by Austin to be the Children of Willam Tanner Sr. and ____ Tibbets (falsely identified by Austin to be Hannah Tibbitts) . This is absolutely incorrect, these North Kingston birth records are for her grandchildren; the children of her son, William Tanner Jr., and his first wife Hannah (surname also unknown). The reason for posting this source with ____ Tibbitts is to document the origin of the error which identifies her as Hannah:

• Primary Source, Arnold, Vital Records of Rhode Island. 1636-1850, Volume 5. Washington County ^[2] Volume 5, Early Vital records from North Kingston, Washington County, Rhode Island for William Tanner; Data Extract:

1. ) Children of William and Hannah Tanner: {The following records are for William Tanner Jr., but are included here because they are cited by George Tanner and by John Austin in association with Wm Tanner Sr. in their genealogical records. John Osborne Austin asserts ^[1] (Page 451) that the Hannah of this primary record was Hannah Tibbitts , but on page 14 of the 1905 Tanner Genealogy, ^[4] George Tanner counters that "Austin has confounded the names and it is more likely that the wife of William Tanner of North Kingstown was Hannah Palmer because the name Palmer appears as a given name for several generations of children descended from this union." However, George Tanner missed the more powerful argument as to why the Hannah of this Wm and Hannah Tanner North Kingstown birth record absolutely could not be Hannah Tibbitts. The basis for this conclusive argument is that the Hannah of this birth record was still alive and having babies as late as 1725, but the Will of Henry Tibbitts, ^[1] (Page 202) written on 27 Nov 1708 passes the inheritance of his daughter Unknown (Tibbitts) Tanner to his grandson William Tanner, a bequest that would have been made if and only if his daughter was dead when the will was written; furthermore William Tanner, the first child of the union of Wm and Hannah, Austin's alleged grandson heir, was not born until after the will was written, (though he was born prior to the date the Henry Tibbitt's will was proved on 13 July 1713), and so, if he was the heir, then this 10 month old baby would have received as an inheritance, land and "five loads of hay"--an absurd, yet very humorous, assertion. Ergo, assuming yet another William Tanner as an implausible possibility, the William Tanner of this William and Hannah of North Kingston birth Record had to be William Tanner Jr., son of William Tanner Sr. and ____ Tibbitts.}
   1. ) North Kingstown, Rhode Island, Births; Page 103-104: William Tanner, son of William and Hannah, was born 22 Sept 1712 at North Kingstown, Rhode Island.
   2. ) Benjamin Tanner, son of William and Hannah, was born 16 June 1714 at North Kingstown, Rhode Island.
   3. ) Honor Tanner, son? of William and Hannah, was born 15 Dec 1716 at North Kingstown, Rhode Island.
   4. ) ____ah, of William and Hannah, was born 16 Oct 1723 at North Kingstown, Rhode Island.
   5. ) ____, of William and Hannah, was born 19 Jan 172_ at North Kingstown, Rhode Island.

Death Records

The following Find A Grave profile asserts, without proof, a number genealogical properties that have been demonstrated to be 'incorrect, and these errors are so noted below:

• Tertiary Source, (burial - no burial evidence presented); Tertiary Source (biography - no source information presented), Find A Grave Index ^[5] Data Summary:

1. ) Find A Grave: Memorial #77357055: Hannah Avis (Tibbetts) Tanner, daughter of William Francis Tanner (1657–1740), was born in 1664, at Kingston, Washington County, Rhode Island, and she died in 1708 (aged 43–44) at Kingston, Washington County, Rhode Island, USA. {As noted in the citation of the Austin source, the first name of the first wife of William Tanner is unknown and almost certainly NOT Hannah. Neither has any reliable evidence been found that her second name may have been Avis, though Wm Tanner Sr. did name one of his daughters Avis. The asserted 1708 death date for this first wife of Wm Tanner is taken from the date of the last will and testament of her father Henry Tanner, in which her father strongly infers that his daughter was deceased prior to the date of his will 1708 and therefore the latest possible date she could have been alive. However, the best known secondary record (The George Tanner Genealogies--refer to the profile of her husband Wm. Tanner Sr.) asserts that Wm Tanner Sr. was remarried to Mary Babcock and had a son, Benjamin Tanner, by Mary Babcock in 1692. This, of course, implies that ___ Tibbits his first wife was deceased sometime after the birth of Wm Tanner Jr. in 1686, but not later than 1691. }
   1. ) Marriage. Hannah Avis Tibbetts married William Tanner Sr.
   2. ) Children:
      1. ) William Henry Tanner (1687–1757). {No reliable evidence has been found to assert that Henry was the middle name of Wm Tanner Jr.}
2. ) BURIAL. Hannah Avis (Tibbetts) Tanner was buried in the Tanner Cemetery at South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island, USA. {This BURIAL assertion is almost certainly incorrect as Wm Tanner Sr. did not acquire the Tanner family farm in South Kingstown, which includes the Tanner Cemetery until 1693, several years after the most probable death date for ____ (Tibbitts) Tanner.}
   1. ) Find a Grave Notes: "Hannah married William Tanner. Daughter of Henry and Sarah (Stanton) Tibbetts, may be of Stonington, RI. Hannah was born in Kingstown, RI about 1664 and died in Kingstown, RI Nov. 1708. "
   2. ) Inscription, "{No Tombstone Photo}"

Published Genealogical Information

• Secondary Source, Clarence Almon Torrey, U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700, ^[6] Data extract:

1. ) Image 742 of 1022: Marriage records for William Tanner:
   1. ) William Tanner and first wife ____ Tibbett, daughter of Henry; ca. 1685?; ?Stonington, CT.
2. ) Torrey at AmericanAncestors (fee); page 1486; References: Briggs-Degroff 220; Austin's Dict 202; Tanner (1905) 9,11; Bordwell Anc 20 NYGBR 50:355.

• Secondary Source, John Osborne Austin , Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island: Comprising Three Generations of Settlers Who Came Before 1690 , ^[1] Data Extract:

1. ) Genealogical Dictionary of RI; at Archive.org, Page 202 also at Genealogical Dictionary of RI; Family Search, Page 202: Henry Tibbitts (____ - 1713) married 1661, Sarah Stanton (____- 1708) daughter of Robert & Avis Stanton. Kingstown, RI. The Will of Henry Tibbitts written 27 Nov 1708 was proved 13 July 1713: Execs, wife Sarah and son George. To wife half of certain land.... To grandson William Tanner, land purchased of Thomas Stanton of Stonington, and five loads of hay.
2. ) Genealogical Dictionary of RI; Archive.org, Page 451 (corrections and additions): also at Genealogical Dictionary of RI; Family Search, Page 451 (corrections and additions): TIBBITTS. 2d column. VIII. Hannah m. William Tanner. Children: 1) William, 22 Sept 1712; 2) Benjamin, 16 June 1714; 3) Honor, 22 Sep 1716; 4.) H___an, 16 Oct 1723; 5) ____, 19 Jan ____. [Editorial: Austin's assertion posits that the Hannah Tanner, mother of the children born between 1712 and 1723 and listed in the North Kingstown, RI vital record is ____ Tibbitts, wife of Wm Tanner Sr. and the mother of William Tanner Jr. cited as the grandson and heir of her father Henry Tibbitts in his 1708 will (see page 202 above). This assertion is absolutely incorrect and is self-contradictory; Henry Tibbitts' will bequeathing "land and five loads of hay to his grandson William Tanner was written on 27 Nov 1708, four years prior to the birth of the four Wm and Hannah Tanner children cited in this passage by Austin. The bequest to his grandson Wm Tanner rather than his daughter ____ (Tibbitts) Tanner, strongly (almost certainly) implies that his daughter (mother to his grandson Wm Tanner Jr.) was deceased in 1980. Therefore, by process of elimination, the Hannah Tanner who was the mother of these children was the wife of William Tanner Jr. and NOT his mother as asserted by Austin. Further comments in North Kingstown Vital Records Source Extraction.}

• Secondary Source, Rev. George C. Tanner D.D.; William Tanner, of North Kingstown, Rhode Island and His Descendants, ^[4] Data Extract:

1. ) 1905 Tanner Genealogy; Page 10-11: William Tanner, of South Kingstown, RI, born in the west of England.
   1. ) Children of William Tanner and ____ Tibbitts:
      1. ) William {Jr.}; settled in North Kingston, RI on land given to him by his grandfather Henry Tibbetts.

Research Notes

1. ) The following definitions and syntax conventions apply to the preceding text of this profile:
   1. ) A Primary Source contains data that was recorded by the person in the profile; or by someone known to or with first hand knowledge of that person, during the person's lifetime, death or within two generations thereafter.
   2. ) A Secondary Source is a genealogical reference created as the result of a extensive study of available source material and it provides some evidence of the source documentation used to generate the text data.
   3. ) A Tertiary Source is a genealogical data source which is a collection of genealogical information that does not cite Primary or Secondary information sources, and the data may be factual or hearsay.
   4. ) Braces {Editorial Note Example} are used to insert editorial comments; that is to say, information or clarification that is not contained in the original, cited source material.
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Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Austin, John Osborne. Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island: Comprising Three Generations of Settlers Who Came Before 1690 : With Many Families Carried to the Fourth Generation., Albany, NY., Joel Munsell's Sons, 1887. Public Domain. {Note there are two on-line sources offering scanned images of this text; archive.org and the book library of Family Search. The scanned image quality of the archive.org copy is poor, in some places unreadable. Family Search has three scanned copies of the book with good scanned image quality.]

   1. ) Archive.org: Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island, Title Page
   2. ) Family Search book library: Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island; Title Page

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Arnold, James N., Editor of the Narragansett Historical Register, Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850, Providence, RI., Narragansett HIstorical Publishing Co., 1894. Twenty one Volume set of Early Rhode Island Vital records compiled by from James Arnold. Vital Record of Rhode Island. 1636-1850, Volume 5. Washington County--Title page Archive.org
3. ↑ Ham, Mrs Thomas H. (compiler). A Genealogy of the Descendants of Nicholas Harris, M.D., Fifth in Descent from Thomas Harris of Providence, R.I., and Sketches of the Harris and the Following Families Connected by Marriage, Tew, Hopkins, Smith, Arnold, Tibbits, Waterman, Olney, Williams, Carmichael, Canfield, Willoughby, Treat, and Fowler (C.I.F. Ham, 1904) p. 57
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Tanner, Rev. George C. D.D. William Tanner, of North Kingstown, Rhode Island and His Descendants, Faribault, Minn., Self published by the author. 1905 (original publication). Public Domain.
5. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (Rev Date: accessed 03 January 2022), memorial page for Hannah Avis Tibbetts Tanner (1664–1708), Find a Grave Memorial ID 77357055, citing Tanner Cemetery, South Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island, USA ; Maintained by M Tanner (contributor 47588861) .
6. ↑ Torrey, Clarence Almon; U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1985. Available:

   1. ) On line at
      1. ) Ancestry.com Ancestry Record 3824 #69553: Ancestry.com Operations Inc Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2012. or
      2. ) Torrey's NE Marriages at AmericanAncestors.
         1. ) Key to Torrey's References.
   2. ) Print edition. This manuscript is still in print and may be available at Amazon.com or Abebooks.com or other rare booksellers.
   3. ) Family Search exposee on New England Marriages Prior to 1700 This article provides excellent insight regarding access to Torrey's source citations, which are not included in the single volume edition.

Other Sources

• Ancestry Record 7836 #1154278 Henry Tibbitts and Sarah Stanton were married on Dec 1661 at Kingston, Washington, Rhode Island, United States

• No ref#, page 11, William Tanner of North Kingstown, Rhode Island and his descendants as 1st wife.

• American Marriages Before 1699, Ancestry.com, Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997.Original data - Clemens, William Montgomery. Pompton Lakes, NJ, USA: Biblio Co., 1926.

Torrey's References:

• Briggs, Harry Tallmadge, 1874- The colonial ancestry of the family of John Greene Briggs, son of Job Briggs, and Patience Greene, and Isabell Gibbs De Groff, daughter of William Stoutenburgh De Groff, and Susan Hopkins; New York, N.Y., Press of B. H. Tyrrel, 1940. {Largely a 1940s regurgitation of Austin.} page 225;
• Bordwell, Lavern, 1867- The ancestry of Lavern Bordwell, 1928 A.D.-420 A.D., with every traceable line in America, all colonials and some earlier royal ancestors; New York, The Grafton press [1927]. page 20; William Tanner Sr b. ca 1660 in England and d. after 1735 at South Kingston, married Mary Tibbetts, one son.
• Greene, Richard Henry, 1839-1926; etal; The New York genealogical and biographical record; Vol 50; New York, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society; 226 West 58h St., New York; 1919. page 354, 355: The Tibbetts Family " ...and another daughter who married Wm. Tanner...."