Elizabeth (Unknown) Priest (abt. 1615 - 1676)

Born about 1615 in England

Wife of James Priest Sr. — married 1637 in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died May 1676 at about age 61 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Biography

Name; Parentage; Date and Place of Birth

James Priest married a woman named Elizabeth. Her first name is known from the birth record of at least one of his children^[1] and from his probate records.^[2] Her last name is unknown. Many family trees show that her name was Elizabeth Nichols, born in Long Credon, Buckinghamshire in 1615 and that James and Elizabeth were married in either Braintree or Dorchester on June 27, 1637.^[3][4] Other family trees show her name was Elizabeth Chambers and that she was born in Kingston, Surrey, England.^[5] No reliable evidence has been found, however, for any part of either of those propositions.

Based on the estimated date of birth of her first known child (1638), Elizabeth was probably born sometime in 1613-1620. She was probably born in England.

Marriage and Children

Based on the estimated date of birth of their first child (1638), Elizabeth and James were probably married in 1637, most likely in Dorchester, but perhaps in 1636 in England.^[6]

Elizabeth and James had the following children:

• Elizabeth, b. about 1638^[6][2] probably in Dorchester,^[2] m. before 1664 John Hollis^[2]
• James, b. May 8, 1640 in Weymouth,^[7][2] d. 1663 in Salem, unmarried^[2]
• Deliverance, b. about 1644 in Weymouth, m. July 12, 1661 Shadrach Thayer of Braintree, d. January 17, 1723 in Braintree. (See discussion and sources in Deliverance's profile.)
• Mary, b. in Weymouth,^[6][2] m. Henry Turbefield of Weymouth^[2]
• John, b. in Weymouth^[2][6]
• Joseph, b. in Weymouth^[2][6]
• Lydia, b. February 12, 1657^[2] or 1657/8^[6] in Weymouth,^[1] d. young^[2]
• Lydia, b. March 16, 1661/2 in Weymouth^[8][2][6]
• Hannah, b. in Weymouth,^[2] m. Richard Rust of Weymouth^[2]

Will; Death

Elizabeth wrote her will on May 24, 1676 (transcribed below). The will was probated on June 1, 1676, which means that Elizabeth died sometime between those two dates.^[9][10][11]

In the name of God amen the twenty fourth day of May anno Dom: sixtiene hundred seventy & six I Elizabeth Preist now resident in Boston in the County of Suffolk in New England being sicke & weake in body but of sound & perfect memory praised be given to God for the same knowing the uncertainty of this life on earth & being desireous to settle things in order doe make this my last will & testament in manner & forme following that is to say first & principally I comend my soule to Almighty God my Creator hoping that I shall receive full pardon & free remission of all my sins & be saved by the previous death & merits of my Blessed Saviour & Redeemer Jesus Christ and my body to the earth from whence it was taken to be buried in such decent & Christian manner as to my Executor hereafter named shall be thought meet & convenient & as touching such worldly estate as the Lord in mercy hath lent me my will & meaning is the same shall be employed & bestowed as hereafter by this my will is expressed And firstly I doe revoake and renounce frustrate & appoint this my last will & Testament And first my will & meaning is I bequeath unto my son Joseph Preist after my decease teh Northwest end of my now dwelling house with one half of ye land thereunto belong scituate in Boston to possess & enjoy untill his son James Preist arrive at the age of twenty one yeares he carrying it quietly & peaceably not making any disturbance amongst the rest of his Relatives as a Brother ought to doe & further I give unto him to adde unto what I have formerly bequeathed unto him five shillings more he not medling with my drane belonging to the house or anything else about the rest of my estate. Item I give unto my son in law Richard Rust & his wife my best bed now in Boston (that is to say) a bed bolster pillow Rugg blanket & further I give unto my said son Rust & Hannah his wife & to their heries all my housing & Land Planting being two peices of Land scituate in Weymouth containing five or six acres of land bee it more or less & further my will & meaning is that my son in law Richard Rust shall pay or cause to be paide unto each of my three daughters thirty shillings in money yearly (that is to say) ten shillings to each of them or their assignes during the space of the fifteene yeares and after the expiration of fifteene yeares my son Richard Rust shall enjoy the same freely without paying any Rent Item I give & bequeath unto Sarah Bagley whom I have brought up from a childe I give unto ye said Sarah Bagley after my decease my little bed Rug Blanket Bolster and pillow & also my cradle with the Rug belonging to it. Item after my decease I give unto my foure daughters Hannah Rust, Elizabeth Hollice, Deliverance Thare & Mary Turbifield all my moveable goods & chattles to be equally divided amongst them they paying the sum of three pounds to Sarah Bagley out of my stocke. Item my will is that my son Sydrack Thare shall be my Executor and further I doe appoint Mr. Thomas Dyer of Weymouth & Capt John Holbrooke to be the Overseers of this my last will & testament to see this my will performed and for their care & paines herein I leave it to ye discretion of my Executor to satisfy them. Dated in Boston the day & yeare first above writtem

Elizabeth Preist^[9][10][12]

^{[2] [5] [3] [4] [1] [8] [7] [6] [10] [9] [12] [11]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCQ5-8BN : 4 December 2014), Lidea Preist, 12 Feb 1657; citing WEYMOUTH,NORFOLK,MASSACHUSETTS, ; FHL microfilm unknown.
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15} Chamberlain, George Walter. History of Weymouth, Massachusetts in Four Volumes. Vol. 4 Genealogy of Weymouth Families. Weymouth Historical Society, 1923. p 558. Link to page at hathitrust.org.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "James Priest and Elizabeth Nichols," familycentral.net
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "Elizabeth Nichols," Tim Dowling's family tree
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "Elizabeth William Chambers", geni.com
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7} George E. Foster, "The Priest Family," 1900, Part 2, pp 3-5
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F45Y-VVB : 4 December 2014), James Priest, 08 May 1640; citing Weymouth, Norfolk, Massachusetts, pg 174; FHL microfilm 2,031,513.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F45Y-V8P : 4 December 2014), James Priest in entry for Lydia Priest, 16 Mar 1662; citing Weymouth, Norfolk, Massachusetts, pg 174; FHL microfilm 2,031,513.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} Suffolk County, MA: Probate File Papers.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2017. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives. Digitized mages provided by FamilySearch.org) https://www.americanancestors.org/DB2735/i/48697/792-co1/1416763243
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2} Suffolk Probate Records, Vol. 6, Part 1, pp. 195-197 (p 121 of original volume). Link to pages at familysearch.org.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991 (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015, Elizabeth Preist, Probate Date: 24 May 1676, Probate Place: Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA, Inferred Death Year: Abt 1676, Inferred Death Place: Massachusetts, USA, Item Description: Probate Records, Vol 5-7, 1666-1674
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991 (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015, Elizabeth Preist, Probate Date: 24 May 1676, Probate Place: Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA, Inferred Death Year: Abt 1676, Inferred Death Place: Massachusetts, USA, Item Description: Probate Records, Vol 5-7, 1666-1674