Notes |
- Following the death of her husband Thomas Buckminster, she married Edward Garfield of Watertown, as his third wife, on 1 Sep 1661.
The date of her death appears to be a source of confusion. In his entry on Henry Stevens (Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VI, R-S, p. 508), Robert Charles Anderson writes:On 27 July 1669, "Jabesh Buckminster, Mary Stevens, Dorcas Corbin, and Sarah Lawrence, sons and daughters of Thomas Buckminster sometimes of Muddy River deceased," petitioned the court to be appointed administrators to their father's estate, referring to the marriage of their mother, Joanna (_____) Buckmaster, to Edward Garfield [SJC Case #2997; MCBR 4:2:443]. Among the many depositions collected during the consideration of this petition was one from "Henry Stevens" who "affirmed in court 27 July 16[70] its four years come August next since his mo[ther-in-]law Joanna Garfeild died" [SJC Case #2997]. From which we can presumably conclude that Joanna (_____) Buckminster Garfield died about August 1666. Harvey M. Lawson (citation details below) places it in 1676, which by itself could be dimissed as a mere clerical error, except that other evidence exists that Joanna was alive later than 1666. Edward Garfield's will, dated 30 Dec 1668 and abstracted in detail in his entry in Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume III, G-H, bequeaths "to my beloved wife" a cow, also "five pounds a year as long as she lives for which my wife had a bond of me before marriage"; also various provisions regarding the terms on which she may continue living in his house. Edward Garfield died 14 Jun 1672 and his will was proved 11 July of the same year.
Finally, as noted on the Wikitree page for Joanna (_____) Buckminster Garfield, americanancestors.org has online, in its Suffolk County, MA: Probate File Papers collection, a handwritten document which, while difficult to read for those of us not trained in seventeenth-century handwriting, certainly appears to be the will of "Joanna Garfeild widow and relict of Edward Garfield" and seems to be reasonably clearly dated "the Eighth of the sixth month sixteen hundred seventy and six".
It is hard to reconcile these contradictions. It is tempting to speculate that perhaps Joanna (_____) Buckminister Garfield did indeed die in 1666, and Edward Garfield happened to then marry a fourth wife also named Joanna. But the Joanna Garfield of the 1676 will clearly mentions several of her children, all of which were by her first husband, so that cannot be the case. The other question that arises concerns the true date of the petition by Jabesh Buckminster, Mary Stevens, Dorcas Corbin, and Sarah Lawrence, and of Henry Stevens's deposition in connection with that. In the quote from Stevens's statement, the digits [70] are inserted in brackets, indicating that these are inferred. Is it possible that Henry Stevens's statement actually happened in 1680, rather than 1670? That would fit, since the will of "Joanna Garfeild widow and relict of Edward Garfield" is dated August ("the sixth month", in old style) of 1676.
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