QUAKER-ROOTS-L Archives

From: (Victoria Cheney)
Subject: [Q-R] STARBUCK sisters? Sarah, Esther, Shuah/Susannah
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 15:12:19 -0700 (PDT)

There has been disagreement on whether Sarah, Esther, and
Susannah/Shuah were all STARBUCKS....and sisters. Also, some
question on the identity of all of their (multiple) husbands.
Their dates, and even their names, are listed in several ways.

I'm a descendant of Sarah STARBUCK m2 Joseph AUSTIN; and also, I
thought, of the same Sarah STARBUCK m3 Humphrey VARNEY. However,
others say that depending on the marriage date, my ancestress
with Humphrey VARNEY would be Esther STARBUCK, Sarah's sister
(if indeed they were sisters).

Very confusing! Here it is, charted out:


1. Sarah STARBUCK (c1630-1713), dau. of Edward STARBUCK and
Catherine REYNOLDS, is said to have
m (1) William Storer or Storey;
(2) Joseph AUSTIN (c1616-1663);
(3) Humphrey VARNEY (d.1714) [as his 2nd wife]

I believe this is agreed upon, except for some duality in the
marriage date of Sarah to Humphrey VARNEY -- which clouds the
situation as to who is the mother of Humphrey's son Ebenezer
(see #3 below).


2. Humphrey VARNEY's first wife Esther is said by some to be the
sister of his 2nd wife Sarah STARBUCK. However, C.A. Torrey
[NEW ENG.MARR...1700, p765] qualifies her surname with brackets:

Humphrey VARNEY (-1714)
m (1) Esther[STARBUCK]/AUSTIN; Glouchester/Dover NH
(2) Sarah (STARBUCK)/(STORER?) AUSTIN, wid Joseph;
2 Mar 1664; Dover NH

Is there a record of birth for Esther STARBUCK? Was she really
a Starbuck?
Why is Esther listed above with a surname of Austin?


3. What is the correct marriage date for Humphrey VARNEY to Sarah
STARBUCK? January or March? 1664 or 1665? All combinations of
these are listed by various sources. It determines the mother of
Humphrey son Ebenezer VARNEY (who m. Mary OTIS), if Ebenezer was
born in 1664. However . . .
To further muddy the waters, there are two birth years for
Ebenezer VARNEY: 1664, and also 1670. Is there any corroboration
on Ebenezer's birth year?
I've received an e-mail saying that Ebenezer was age 19 when
he led the 1689 rescue at Conway, N.H. of some survivors of the
Cocheco Indian Massacre (one of whom, Mary OTIS, age 14, b.1675,
would become Ebenezer VARNEY's future wife). However, I wasn't
given the source or evidence for the assertion that Ebenezer was
age 19 in 1689.

Regarding the question of whether the mother of Ebenezer VARNEY is
Esther or Sarah STARBUCK, the ur-source in support of "Esther"
seems to be the book STARBUCKS ALL by Dr. James Carlton Starbuck.
I don't have this book, but the following was sent to me.

On page 151, STARBUCKS ALL shows:

<<Ester STARBUCK, dau. of Edward Starbuck
m (1) William FURBER
Children:
1. William Furber
2. Jethro Furber
3. Moses Furber
4. Elizabeth Furber m. John Dam
5. Susanne Furber m. John Bickford
6. Bridget Furber m. Thomas Bickford
Ester STARBUCK
m (2) Humphrey VARNEY, son of William & Bridget Varney
Children:
7. Moses Varney m. Phebe Tuttle
8. Ebenezer Varney b.1670 m. Mary Otis >>

This is Victoria again. Notice how Esther's marriages have been
transposed chronologically in STARBUCKS ALL. Most other sources
show she marr. Humphrey VARNEY first, then marr. FURBER ca.1672.
Here's an example (with its own further ambiguities):

Esther STARBUCK
m (1) Humphrey VARNEY, b.1642, Dover Neck, Strafford, NH
married on 02 March 1664*
1.Ebenezer Varney, b.05 Sep.1664, Dover, Strafford, NH
m (2) William FURBER by 1672

[*Others say Sarah STARBUCK, Humphrey VARNEY' 2nd wife, marr. him
in 1664, after the death of Joseph AUSTIN. This same date, 2 March
1664, is sometimes given as son Ebenezer VARNEY's birthdate.]


4. Some listings show that Esther STARBUCK m(1) William FURBER [Jr]
before marrying Humphrey VARNEY.
C.A. Torrey, in NEW ENGLAND MARRIAGES PRIOR TO 1700, p290, shows:

William FURBER (1647-1707)
m (1) Esther (Starbuck?) by 1672, Dover NH,
(2) Elizabeth (Heard) Nute (1653-1705) (widow of James)
on 13 Aug 1694, Dover NH.

Adding to this, a correspondent writes: "I do not have a copy,
but to the best of my recollection, Libby's DICTIONARY OF MAINE
AND NEW HAMPSHIRE says:

William 2 FURBER m (1) Esther (poss. STARBUCK). I believe
this is where Torrey got his information.

"However [adds the same correspondent], this is contradicted by
Henry W. Hardon in his NEWINGTON (N.H.) FAMILIES IN THE 18th C.,
p.168, which shows William FURBER marrying three Elizabeths:

William 2 FURBER b c 1648 d 14 Sep 1707
m (1) ? Elizabeth _____
(2) 13 Aug 1694 Elizabeth (HURD) NUTE
(3) 1706 Elizabeth (MARTYN) KENNARD. "


5. Another daughter(?) of the family [evidently now disproved] is
Susanna or Shuah (sometimes listed as Starbuck). She is NOT
listed as one of Edward Starbuck's daughters in THE HISTORY OF
NANTUCKET. Susannah/Shuah is said to have
m (1) James HEARD
(2) Richard OTIS on 5 Nov.1677.

Susanna/Shuah's is now said to be the daughter of Abraham CONLEY.
I have put further information on this in a separate posting,
which follows.


To summarize my questions: Was Esther Starbuck really a Starbuck?
Is Esther Starbuck the mother of Ebenezer Varney, or is his mother
Sarah Starbuck, Esther's sister? Did Esther Starbuck m(1) William
Furber [Jr].

I hope we can get our databases to agree on these names, dates, and
chronology -- as much as is known.


Victoria Cheney

This thread:

• [Q-R] STARBUCK sisters? Sarah, Esther, Shuah/Susannah by (Victoria Cheney)