On Wednesday, March 19, 2003, at 12:49 AM, Cathy Brinkman <brink@choice.net> wrote: > This Francis was the son of Francis and Sarah (I never can remember > whether she's Tarbell or Craggin; Goodwin says Tarbell) An excerpt from an article by Barbara Matthews, "Francis and Sarah (Craggen) Nurse of Reading, Mass.", The American Genealogist, vol. 69 (Apr 1994), p. 82, states: "Most published Nurse/Nourse family genealogies are based apparently on John D. Ames's article 'A Genealogy of the Nurse Family' published in Putnam's Monthly Historical Magazine.... This work incorrectly identifies the first wife of Francis2 and the second wife of Benjamin3....Even Walter Goodwin Davis...repeats the statement that Francis2 Nurse married Sarah Tarbell in Salem, Massachusetts, on 15 January 1685, a marriage not found in published Salem vital records..." "Charles Henry Wright in 'Thomas Tarbell and Some of His Descendants' published in 1907 ...used probate information to show that Sarah2 Tarbell (Thomas1) was the wife of Cornelius Church... and (she) died in her old age without issue..." "Mrs. Jane E. Palmer of Kensett, Iowa, brought the various inconsistencies to my attention...." "The will of John Craggen Sr. of Woburn, (executed 30 May 1704 and proved on 29 November 1708) is quite clear in identifying Francis Nurse of Reading as his son-in-law..." --Margo