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Archiver > RIPROVID > 2003-01 > 1042918256


From: Florence Gargaro <>
Subject: Re: [RIPROVID] Stafford/Thurber
Date: Sat, 18 Jan 2003 14:30:56 -0500
References: <5.2.0.9.0.20030118083340.00a78ec0@mailhost.interstat.net><5.2.0.9.0.20030118113849.00a031e0@mailhost.interstat.net>
In-Reply-To: <00c401c2bf23$674179a0$6c094344@adelphia.net>


At 01:56 PM 1/18/03 -0500, you wrote:
>I really don't know much about him. I only have the book, but it seems like
>he was well respected and a contributor to R.I. Genealogy. He lived from
>1849-1918. Don't know what his sources were though. He stated in the Preface
>of the book that, "The material gathered in these pages was drawn from many
>sources."
>
>To add to your confusion, I just checked FTM CD #215 "Vital Records: Rhode
>Island 1500's-1900's" and found a notation of Samuel's will in which he
>names, "Granddaughters MARCY Thurber and..." (it was taken from Beaman's
>"Rhode Island Genealogical Register"-P.34).

My feeling is that the original will should be checked. It also seems to
me that since the will was written in 1711 and Richard Thurber and wife
Mercy had son Edward in 1710, if Edward were a grandson, he would have
been mentioned in the will - as would daughter Mercy. Since the only
Thurber mentioned was a granddaughter Mary/Marcy (and I have also seen
Marey), I would tend to believe that Samuel's daughter Mercy b. 1668 had
died by 1711 - and possibly even a lot earlier. And if Richard's wife was
indeed Samuel's granddaughter, then Edward Thurber b. 1710 would have been
a great grandson - and maybe that is why he is not in the will.

If Austin was basing his information on Samuel's will and saw there was a
granddaughter named Mary Thurber, he may have simply jumped to the
conclusion that Mercy must have married a Thurber and had daughter named
Mary. Austin probably never never considered that there could have been a
granddaughter named Mary who married a Thurber - and that Thurber was her
married name. Since Richard and Mercy Thurber had Edward in 1710, then
Mercy/Mary was a Thurber by marriage. I don't believe there ever was a Mary
Thurber b. to Richard - I think that was the result of Austin's error in
assuming that Mercy married a Thurber and had a daughter Mary. That cannot
be the case - There is a 20 year difference in the age between Richard's
wife b. 1688 and Mercy Stafford b. 1668 - something Austin probably didn't
know. Since he didn't know that the Thurber was named Richard, he probably
didn't know that Richard's widow married again and had 3 more children.

I have seen a similar error in Thurber genealogy (and often linked to Mercy
Stafford) caused by a single error in vital records of Rehoboth which
listed Mercy Thurber wife of David Thurber d. June 3 1725.

A number of sites claim that David, son of John and Priscilla Thurber m.
Mercy Stafford. The problem here is that there was no such David THURBER -
the Rehoboth vital records are wrong! The original record in Rehoboth
shows that Mercy wife of David THURSTAN died on that date. There was a
David Thurston listed as married to Mercy Carey in 1713 - and that is the
Mercy who died in 1725. I have tried to halt the proliferation of sites
which include David THURBER (and some have included Mercy Stafford), but it
appears to be nearly impossible to get the word out about the error in
James Arnold's Vital records of Rehoboth.

Florence

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