Maggie wrote: > I noticed that in 1624, a Martha Blanchard married in > England John Bent, brother of Agnes Bent who married Thomas Blanchard. It would more correct to say that Maggie noticed a CLAIM of that. I have often seen that same claim, but never any documentation to indicate that it's TRUE. My own suspicion is that somebody with an active imagination simply made it up, based on incomplete knowledge. It is well known that John Bent was a brother-in-law of Thomas Blanchard, and it is also well known that John's wife was named Martha ________. What could be simpler than to put those two facts together and "deduce" that Martha's maiden name was Blanchard? Simple, but probably wrong. In a sense, this unfounded rumor is good for us in the Blanchard group because it may tend to increase the level of interest in Blanchards in general and may eventually help to elicit documentation of Thomas' origins. However, I'm not holding my breath. John Chandler