Abigail (Ward) Fuller (abt. 1698 - aft. 1734)

Born about 1698 in Marlborough, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Wife of James Fuller — married 12 Dec 1717 in Ashford, Windham, Connecticut Colony

Descendants

Died after 27 Nov 1734 after about age 36 in Union, Windham, Connecticut Colony [uncertain]

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Biography

Abigail Ward (surname misspelled as Yeomans, Youmans, etc.) was born about 1698 in Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts Bay, the daughter of William Ward Sr. and Judith (Unknown) Ward.^[1] No record of an exact birth date has been found in the Cambridge vital records.^[2]

Abigail married James Fuller on 12 Dec 1717, in Ashford, Windham County, Connecticut Colony.^{[3] [1]}

The children of Abigail & James are recorded at Ashford, in various sources, but are also included in the sourced Register article:^[1]

1. Dinah, born 29 December 1718;^[3] bap. 2 April 1721.^[4]
2. Elizabeth, born 15 June 1721;^[3] bap. 23 July 1721.^[4]
3. William, born 13 March 1722-23;^[3]
4. Hezekiah, born 2 March 1724-25;^[3] bap. 11 April 1725.^[4]
5. Abigail, born 28 July 1728;^[5] bap. 25 August 1728.^[4]

There was a child added here, Priscilla, but no source was posted & no birth or baptism record was found to support her as a child of Abigail & James.

Abigail appears to buy land from her husband, James, in a deed dated 27 November 1734, at Union, Windham (now Tolland) County, Connecticut Colony.^[6] This is last known reference to Abigail.

Her Findagrave memorial does not have a gravestone & it perpetuates the erroneous birth location of Cambridge, MA.^[7]

NOTE ABOUT HER SURNAME

Below are direct quotes from the sourced Register article which clarify the confusion about Abigail's surname.

A study of the Ashford land records revealed that William Ward had given an 18½ acre parcel of land for love and affection to “my Loving Daughter Abegall Fuller” on 18 February 1720/1.[16] The land was described as “lying South of a peace of land James Fuller had of me.”[17] On the following page of the deed book is a deed from William Ward to James Fuller, but with a later date of 7 December 1723, and no relationship given.[18] It has long been recognized that James Fuller’s wife was named Abigail, but this is apparently the first time that this land record has been noticed as having been the key to her identity — and that she was William Ward’s daughter.

Researchers have been confused by a misspelling of Abigail's last name in their marriage record, dated 12 December 1717. The original record was made in Ashford's "old paper book," long since lost to time.[19] A transcription of that book, made by the town clerk in 1770 because of its already-deteriorated condition, is now Ashford's oldest surviving record of that marriage, and it appears to spell the bride's name as "youard."[20] The Barbour Collection reports the name as "Yeward," or "Youard," based on two different transcriptions, both of which were made in the early twentieth century, at least one of which was supposedly made from "the Old Paper Book."[21] William H. Fuller, in his attempt to identify her for his John Fuller of Newton Genealogy, decided to name her Abigail "Leomans" or "Youmans,"[22] perhaps because that surname occurred in a few other Ashford records, but otherwise without explanation. (pg. 199)^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} "James Fuller of Ashford and Union, Connecticut: Cluster Genealogy Meets Y-DNA", by William Lynch Fuller and Frederick C. Hart, Jr., The New England Historical and Genealogical Register 172 (Summer 2018):197-211
2. ↑ Vital Records of Cambridge, MA, thru 1850, Vol. 1, pg. 730.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} Proprietors Records of Ashford, CT, 1705-1770, a 1770 transcription, pg. 4, 1st entry. This is the record which incorrectly transcribed "Ward" to "youard". Children's births: Dinah & Elizabeth, pg. 5; Wm., pg. 7; Hezekiah, pg. 9; Abigail, no record.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Church of Christ Records, Ashford CT, 1718-1834, pg. 3. Elizabeth, pg. 4; Wm., no record; Hezekiah, pg. 8; Abigail, pg. 12.
5. ↑ Barbour Collection, states: "Fuller, Abiga[i]ll, d. James & Abiga[i]ll, b. July 8, 1728."
6. ↑ Town Records of Union, CT, pgs. 62 & 63.
7. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #86670549

• Genealogy of Some Descendants of Captain Matthew Fuller, John Fuller of Newton, John Fuller of Lynn, John Fuller of Ipswich, Robert Fuller of Dorchester and Dedham. To which is added supplements to Volume I: Genealogy of some descendants of Edward Fuller of the Mayflower, and volume II: Some descendants of Dr. Samuel Fuller of the Mayflower, compiled by Wm. Hyslop Fuller, 1914, pg. 102. This sources copies the erroneous "Youmans" surname, a transcription error of Ward.