Anne WORCESTER

- 1683

• Name	Anne WORCESTER
  Birth	Probably Rugby, Warwickshire, England or West Haddon, Northamptonshire, England
  Gender	Female
  Name	Ann WORCESTER
  Death	9 Mar 1683	Salisbury, Essex County, MA
  Notes	(1) Worcester, John P., "The Worcester Family" <http://www.worcesterfamily.com/intro.htm>: Rev. William [WORCESTER]'s will contains an interesting and, until now, perplexing reference to an Edward French. The relevant portion of the will reads as follows: "I doe appoint my loueing freinds Capt Robert Pike my brother Edward ffrench: Richard wells & mr Tho: Bradbury to bee overseers of this my will & testamt." The reference to Mr. French being his brother has caused many to speculate about their relationship. Could it mean that he considered him a "church brother" or a brother-in-law? There are examples of the use of the term in wills of this time period with both meanings. Some members of the French Family Association have concluded that the term was simply a term of religious brotherhood and did not refer to an actual family relationship. In their family history they report that the progenitor of their family branch in America, Edward French, married a woman with a first name of Ann, but are uncertain of her last name. Edward French was born in England about 1590, and died in Salisbury, Mass., on December 28, 1674. He is believed to have emigrated to New England from Halstead, Essex, in 1635 with his wife Ann and three children, arriving first in Ipswich, Mass. and after two years removing to Salisbury. He is known to be, along with Rev. William, one of the first settlers of Salisbury. The Genealogical Dictionary of New England, by James Savage, Boston, 1860-2, reports that Edward French was living in Ipswich, Mass. as early as 1636. He was a tailor by trade, helped establish the first church in Salisbury, was a selectman between 1646-48, and a sheriff. He was an extensive landowner having purchased land in 1642 and was reported to be the third wealthiest man in Salisbury. Edward and Ann had four children: Joseph, born in England about 1631, died in Salisbury, June 6, 1710, married Susanah Stacy; John, born about 1632, died in Salisbury, May 4, 1706, married Mary Noyes; Samuel born about 1633, died in Salisbury, July 26, 1692, married first Abigail Brown, and second Esther (Jackman) Muzzey; and, Hannah, who married first John White and second, Thomas Philbrick. . . . If Rev. William intended to refer to Edward French as a "church brother," one has to wonder why he did not similarly refer to Robert Pike as "brother." Robert Pike was also a prominent member of the Salisbury community and parish. If Edward French was, in fact, Rev. William's brother-in-law, it opens up the possibility that Ann was Rev. William's sister. And, that Ann French arrived in America before Rev. William! Two documents contain almost irrefutable evidence that Ann was, in fact, Rev. William's sister. The first is the will of Joseph Worcester the elder of Rugby, dated 1644. . . . It contains bequeaths to his sons William and Joseph, and to his daughters Anne French and Susanah Mason. What are the odds that more than one William Worcester would have a sister named Ann French in 1644? This seems to be pretty good evidence that Rev. William had a sister named Ann. The parish register of the Church of St. Andrew in Rugby contains the following entry: "3 November 1626 Marryed Edward French and Anne Worcester." This is a critical piece of evidence as it conclusively shows that Edward French married Ann Worcester in 1626. Perhaps more importantly, however, the discovery also provides the link to prove that Joseph Worcester, the elder of Rugby, was Rev. William's father. (2) Other sources theorize that Ann's maiden name was GOODALE. According to this theory, Ann was a sister of Richard GOODALE, Sr., who called Edward FRENCH his "brother." However, the compiler has found no proof that Richard GOODALE, Sr. had a sister named Ann. See a list of Richard's siblings in Davis, Walter Goodwin, The Ancestry of Abel Lunt, 1769-1806, of Newbury, Massachusetts, Portland, ME: Anthoensen Press, 1963, pp. 104-105; no sibling named Ann is included in that list. (3) The term "brother" has several meanings. It can mean (a) a male sibling; (b) a man who belongs to the same ethnic group, religion, profession, trade or organization as another man; (c) a close male friend; or (d) a member of a religious order for men.
  Person ID	I15295	Frost, Gilchrist and Related Families
  Last Modified	17 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Joseph WORCESTER,   b. Abt 1566   d. Aft 10 Feb 1645 (Age ~ 79 years)
  Mother	Alice (WORCESTER)   d. Aft 10 Feb 1645
  Family ID	F6878	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Edward FRENCH,   b. Bef 21 Sep 1595, Allesley, Warwickshire, England d. 28 Dec 1674, Salisbury, Essex County, MA (Age > 79 years)
  Marriage	3 Nov 1626	St. Andrew's Church, Rugby, Warwickshire, England
  Notes	(1) Worcester, John P., "The Worcester Family" <http://www.worcesterfamily.com/intro.htm>: The parish register of the Church of St. Andrew in Rugby contains the following entry: "3 November 1626 Marryed Edward French and Anne Worcester." (2) The extracted parish records included in the International Genealogical Index for St. Andrew Parish, Rugby, Warwickshire, England, date back only to 1739. Therefore, no extracted record of this marriage is included in the International Genealogical Index.
  Children	1. Joseph FRENCH, Sr.,   b. Abt 1631, England d. 6 Jun 1710, Salisbury, Essex County, MA (Age ~ 79 years)   2. John FRENCH,   b. Abt 1632, England d. 4 May 1706, Salisbury, Essex County, MA (Age ~ 74 years)   3. Samuel FRENCH,   b. Abt 1633, England d. 26 Jul 1692, Salisbury, Essex County, MA (Age ~ 59 years)   4. Hannah FRENCH,   b. Abt 1640, MA d. Aft 24 Nov 1700, Haverhill, Essex County, MA (Age ~ 60 years)
  Family ID	F6863	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	17 Apr 2024