Francis West

Notes:

On 14 Feb 1732/33 Francis West, weaver, sold land in North Kingstown to his brother Peter West. Francis moved to Westerly where he was made a freeman in 1732 and his son John in 1750. He and his wife Mary were early members of the Westerly Sabbatarian Church. The will of Francis West, dated 6 Sept 1780, proved at Westerly, RI, 24 April 1786, names wife Mary; sister-in-law Sarah Babcock; sons John and Samuel; grandsons Henry son of John, William, and Timothy West. He does not name his son Timothy, long dead. However, only Timothy West who died Westerly ca 1767 had sons William and Timothy.

Francis married Mary Unknown Abt 1729. Mary died Aft 6 Sep 1780. [Group Sheet]

1. Timothy West died Abt 1767, Westerly, RI.
2. John West
3. Samuel West

Francis married Sarah HILLARD 12 May 1699, East Greenwich, RI. Sarah was born Abt 1679. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Previously I read that when Francis West married Sarah, she was the widow of a Mr. Millard. However, now the Mayflower Society has determined that her maiden name was Sarah Hillard or Hillier.

The Soule website has her maiden name as Downing.

Francis — Susanna SOULE. Susanna (daughter of George SOULE and Mary Marie BECKETT) was born Abt 1642; died Abt 1684, Kings Towne, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

George Soule came to America on the original Mayflower voyage to Plymouth. He was a servant to Edward Winslow. George signed the Mayflower Compact on 11 Nov 1620.

Interesting to note, particularly in the light of our twins, and other twins elsewhere on our family tree: "Soule descendants have shown a strong genetic trait of twinning." (see "Mayflower Descendants Through Five Generations" Vol. 3 , George Soule, p. 14) We have three lines of descent from George Soule.

I believe this has been disproven since being published, but still an interesting theory: "As was his wife Marie Bucquet, 'George Sowle . . was apparently also of a Waloon family. His proposed father Jan Sol was born in Brussels . . . the seat of the French community of Belgium and of the Flemish community. George Soule signed his will as 'Gorge Sowle,' thus blending the Dutch first name with an English-sounding surname. He was probably known as 'Joris Sol' or 'Joris Jansz' in Leiden and Haarlem before 1620.' " (source: The Mayflower Quarterly, December 2012, pp 378 & 379, article by Louise Walsh Throop)

In answer to my question about why George would have been known as Joris Jansz, Louise replied: "There were standard abbreviations for the -son ending or -daughter ending: the Dutch used -zn for the -son ending. So if George Sowle [his English name] was originally a Dutch boy of Huguenot background, he could have been called Joris [the equivalent of Gorg or George] the son of John, or Jansen, or the Dutch version: jan-zoon or Janzn. By the way, Labis is probably the surname of George's mother.....with the possibility she came from an upper-class family." (email from Louise Walsh Throop dated 14 June 2013)

From the "Soule Kindred Newsletter" of Winter/Spring 2016: "George's place and date of birth are the subject of much conjecture. Some sources identify the name Soule as originating in the village of Soles in the county of Kent. Another possibility is that it was brought to England from Normandy in 1066 when the French conquered England."

For additional information on George, see: http://www.themayflowersociety.com/pilgrim.htm

See this excellent web site by Caleb Johnson: http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Passengers/GeorgeSoule.php

The text of his will can also be found at this site.

Also visit here for more information: http://www.soulekindred.org/

George married Mary Marie BECKETT Abt 1625, Plymouth, MA. Mary (daughter of John BECKETT and Ann ALDEN) was born Abt Feb 1604/05, Watford, Hertfordshire, England; died Dec 1676, Duxbury, MA; was buried , Standish Cemetery, Duxbury, MA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I have estimated Marie's birth year. She arrived at Plymouth, MA, aboard the ship "Anne" in 1623. She may have come in the care of Elizabeth Warren who came with her five daughters (see Sould Kindred article mentioned below).

Her name is sometimes given as Mary Becket or Mary Bucket.

The earliest written record in Plymouth gives her name as Marie Buckett. She is next mentioned in the May 1627 Division of Cattle, listing George Sowle, Mary Sowle, and Zakariah Sowle. They are included in the section "Richard Warren and his companie Joyned with him."

"When she first set foot in Plymouth Colony in 1623, she was known as Marie Bucquet. In later records she was Mary. She was probably about 18 years of age in 1623 in order to travel by herself. If she was about 47 years old at the birth of her last child, she would have been born no later than about 1604." (source: The Mayflower Quarterly, Dec 2012, p 378, article by Louise Walsh Throop, MBA)

Soule Kindred Newsletter, Summer 2016, "Mary Beckett -- found?" article by March Kelly:
Latest research suggests that George's wife was Mary Beckett from Watford, Hertfordshire, England. Her grandfather was John Beckett, a tailor, who married Mary c1577. His will dated 20 July 1590 mentions son John Jr. and daughter Mary. John Jr. married Ann Aldyn in 1603 and they had five known children, including Mary in 1605.