Alexander Wignall (1570 - aft. 1633)

Born 1570 in England

Husband of Unknown (Unknown) Wignall — married 1600 in England

Died after 3 Sep 1633 after age 63 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts

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Alexander Wignall migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See Great Migration Begins, by R. C. Anderson, Vol. 3, p. 1985) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography^[1]

Birth : 1570 Exeter, Devon, England (This is not in Anderson, and probably comes from a merged in profile.) Anderson mentions no origins, no birth.

Alexander came to Watertown, Massachusetts about 1628.

On October 19, 1630 Alexander was among those who asked for and on May 18, 1631 took the oath of Freeman of Massachusetts. ^[2] In both lists his name has the prefix of “Mr.” showing respect. He was a either a scholar or property owner with his name next above Captain William Jennison who may have been associated with Alexander.

“The Great Migration Begins” doubts Alexander was the father of Elizabeth and considers him to be the same man as “Jno. Wignall a 1630 list of Charlestown inhabitants as included in the following:

• “Jno. Wignall” is included in 1630 Charlestown list of inhabitants as one of four who “went & built in the main on the northeast side of the northwest creek of this town” [ ChTR 5]. In next list, also for 1630, is Walter Pope, who “bought Jno. Wignall’s house & land” [ ChTR 6]. ^[3]
• 3 May 1631: “Alex: Wignall” on jury for Dexter vs. Endicott [ MBCR 1: 86]. ^[3]
• 18 May 1631: “Mr. Alex: Wignall” admitted as a freeman [ MBCR 1:366 ]. ^[3]
• 16 August 1631: “Mr. Alex: Wignall” fined five marks for drunkenness [ MBCR 1:91]. ^[3]
• 6 Sept. 1631: “Mr. Alex: Wignall is fined 40sh., bound to his good behavior, & enjoined to remove his dwelling to some settled plantation before the last of May next, for drunkenness & much misdeameanor by him committed at the plantation where he now dwelleth” [ MBCR 1:91].^[3]
• 2 July 1633: “Mr. Woolridge & Mr. Gibbons are appointed to join with Mr. Graves & Mr. Geneson to inventory the goods & chattels of Alex: Wignall” [ MBCR 1:106]. Note: this suggests that Alex died shortly before July 1633.^[3] [note: This may have been a bankruptcy hearing as he was fined again later that year.] ^[4]
• 3 September 1633: He was 'fined L10 for drunkenness, quarrelling, breach of an order of the court, and contempt of authority, ^[4]

Questionable Data

The following items are speculated to belong to this family, but legitimate sourcing has not been located and even if it were there is no proof that any of these items belong to this Alexander. (Jan 2019, searched at FamilySearch, Freereg.org.uk, Ancestry, AmericanAncestors.)

• Birth: 08 Dec 1578 Frating, Essex, England, parents John Wignall and Mary Bigge. ^[5]
• A year later his father John passed away in July 1579 in Suffolk, England at the age of 21.
• He married Frances Williams in 1603 in Essex, England when he was 25 years old. They had three children during their marriage.^[6]
• His wife Elizabeth passed away in 1615 at the age of 35. They had been married 12 years. Although her death is debatable.
• He married 1604 Martha Wignal.^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ Unless otherwise cited, information is drawn from Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins. See full citation.
2. ↑ List of Freemen in: New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 3, NEHGS, Boston, Massachusetts, 1849 p. 90-1
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5} Anderson, Robert C. Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to N.E. 1620-1633, Vols. I-III, NEHGS, Boston, Massachusetts, 1995 p. 1985-6 (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010),
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Great Migration Newsletter, Volume 5, p. 32.(Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015.)
5. ↑ Millennium File. Note the Millenium file only indicates a birth about 1578, in England.
6. ↑ U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900: Source number: 3002.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: GHS
7. ↑ Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

• The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010), (Originally Published as: New England Historic Genealogical Society. Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III, 3 vols., p. 1985. 1995). featured name Alexander Wignall.subscription site

See also:

• Shurtleff, Nathaniel Bradstreet, editor. Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, Volume 1 1628-1641, Printed by order of the Legislature, William White, Printer, Boston, Massachusetts, 1853, p. 86: 91: 108: 243-4
• Link to Great Migration Article at AmericanAncestors
• Link to Raymon Meyers Tingley Entry
• "A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England", by Savage;
• "Some Ancestor Lines", by Ramon Myers Tingley.
• "New England Historical and Genealogical Register", Vol. 3, - 1004 Burlington Beach Road,: Valparaiso, IN 46383