Margery (Unknown) Bushnell (abt. 1554 - abt. 1624)

Born about 1554 in Thatcham, Berkshire, England [uncertain]

Wife of Francis Bushnell Sr. — married 1575 in Berkshire, England

Descendants

Died about 22 Feb 1624 at about age 70 in Horsham, Sussex, England [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Paul Lee [send private message] and Christa Vassillière [send private message]

Disputed Child

It had previously been thought that their son Francis was Francis Bushnell (abt.1580-bef.1646) the emigrant to America, as based on Bushnell Family Genealogy.^[1]. Based on more research by Patricia Metsch in 2007,^[2] and Legacy Family History, Inc (LFH) in 2022,^[3] which both cited "Parish Register of Thatcham, Berkshire, 1250-1992"^[4] shows both researchers coming to the same conclusion, as cited by Metsch from the parish records: "Ffrancis the sonne of Ffrancis Busshnell was baptized the xvth [15th] daye of June [1598]." If Francis the emigrant was having children as early as 1606, he could not have been the son of Francis (d. 1625) as he would have only been about 8.

Biography

Margery (Unknown) Bushnell was born in ~1554 in Thatcham, Berkshire, England.

Margery married Francis Bushnell (~1550 - <1626) in 1575 in Berkshire.

Their children were...

1. Nicholas Bushnell (1576 - )
2. Ralph Bushnell (1578 - )
3. Francis Bushnell Jr, baptised 15 Jun 1598
4. Joan Bushnell (1582 - 1625)
5. Joan (Bushnell) Buffington (~1623 - 1655).

Margery died on ~February 22, 1624 in Horsham, Sussex aged ~69.

Though she is not named in his will or found in other available online records, Francis Bushnell, Sr., is alleged to have married a woman named Margery (maiden surname not known) before 1576, the estimated birth year of their first child.

It is possible that Francis's spouse has been confused with a later Margery Bushnell who was married at Thatcham in 1612;^[5] or even with a granddaughter Margery of Francis Bushnell, Sr., born say 1610.^[6]

By whatever name, the wife of Francis Bushnell, Sr., is thought to have been born about 1554, and to have passed away prior to the date of Francis's will, 15 August 1625, in which there is no mention of a wife. A claimed death date of February 22, 1624,^[7] cannot be verified in any available online primary or reliable secondary source.

Sources

1. ↑ George Eleazer Bushnell, Bushnell Family Genealogy; Ancestry and Posterity of Francis Bushnell, 1580-1646, of Horsham, England and Guilford, Connecticut (Nashville:,1945); image 18 of 296, p. 2 at HathiTrust.org.
2. ↑ Patricia Metsch, "Doubts about the English origin of Francis Bushnell, Sr. of Horsham and Guilford" posted 5 February 2007 at Genealogy.com.
3. ↑ "Research on the Francis Bushnell Family, 28 April 2022, 6 pages" in the "Memories" section of the profile for Francis Bushnell, FSID# G6R2-1WH.
4. ↑ FHL DGS Film 8069348, image 537, FamilySearch.org (http://www.familysearch.org).
5. ↑ England: Marriages, 1538-1973. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (Original index: England Marriages, 1538-1973. FamilySearch, 2014.); https://www.americanancestors.org/DB544/rd/409319649 (subscription)
6. ↑ Bushnell family genealogy; ancestry and posterity of Francis Bushnell, 1580-1646, of Horsham, England and Guilford, Connecticut, by George Eleazer Bushnell, Nashville, 1945, page 19; https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89082470139&view=image&seq=16&size=300
7. ↑ North American, Family Histories, 1500-2000