Dear WRG, At 09:19 PM 2/5/01 -0500, Steven Wallace wrote: > > In The American Genealogist, Vol. 16, p. 23, I found (exact >transcription): > > > > "Concord (Mass.) Marriages, 1724 by Clarence S. Brigham, Director, >American > > Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Mass. > > > > The manuscript Diary of the Rev. John Whiting for 1724, the leaves being > > removed from a 1724 Almanac, contains nine marriages in Concord, Mass., > > which do not appear in the Concord Vital Records. The only marriages > > recorded by the Town during the period 1720 to 1728 were those performed >by > > Justice James Minott or Justice Houghton. > > > > Feb. 5 Amos Rice, Brookfield, and Mary Brabrook, Concord > > Mch 31 Jonathan Davis and Abigail Brown > > June 4 David Taylor and [Ruth] Davis > > June 17 David Russell and Hannah Brown > > July 9 Timothy Minott and Mary Brooks > > Oct. 21 Enoch Stratton and Rebecca Fletcher > > Oct. 29 James Wheeler and Mary Colburn > > Nov. 2 Nathan Whitney and Sarah Goble > > Nov. 5 Ebenezer Hubbard and Mary Billings" > > > > > > Given the esteem in which TAG is held, I'd say it's a pretty durn good > > source. And it explains why the marriage of Ebenezer Hubbard and Mary > > Billings couldn't be found in the Concord VR. > > > > I love it when a plan comes together. > > > > Karen Sullivan This is very interesting! There were only three Nathan WHITNEY men in New England old enough to have contracted this marriage, as far as I can determine, and none seems possible: 1. Nathan-4 WHITNEY (Thomas-3, Thomas-2, John-1), b. ca. 1689, m. 18 Nov 1719, Lancaster, Mary HOLMAN, who survived him. 2. Nathan-4 WHITNEY (Nathaniel-3, Benjamin-2, John-1), b. 10 Jan 1706/7, York, ME, m. 12 Nov 1730, York, Lydia YOUNG. He seems too young. 3. Nathan-3 WHITNEY (John-2, Henry-1), b. ca. 1695, Norwalk, CT, m. ca. 1715, Sarah PLATT. They had children born at regular intervals which all seem to be by Sarah PLATT. On the other hand, Nathaniel-3 WHITNEY (John-2, John-1), b. 1 Feb 1646/7, Watertown, MA, had a first wife Sarah HAGAR, who d. 29 Jul 1722, Weston, MA. He also had a second wife Sarah -----, who d. 7 May 1746, aged 88 years, Weston. She is unidentified. I believe the above marriage record applies to this last couple. I searched for a Sarah GOBLE, likely a widow, born about 1658. A likely candidate was Sarah (SHEPHERD) GOBLE, widow of Thomas-3 GOBLE, who d. 16 Mar 1723/4, Concord, MA. His birth seems not to be recorded, but his parents were married in Apr 1657. They were married 4 Jan 1686, Concord, MA. Now there were lots of Sarah SHEPHERD individuals, and I haven't the resources at hand tonight to identify her. She could not be the daughter of Abraham SHEPHERD, as asserted by the IGI, since that girl was b. 10 Sep 1674, and hence under 12 at the date of the marriage of Thomas GOBLE to Sarah SHEPHERD. Given her calculated age at the time of her marriage, she could have been a widow of a SHEPHERD man and have borne a different maiden surname. Anyone out there with GOBLE or SHEPHERD resources who could assist in this identification? Regards, Robert Robert L. Ward WHITNEY Research Group <http://www.whitneygen.org/home2.html>