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Author: JimRMau
Surnames: Carley, Kerley
Classification: biography
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.carley/443.1.1/mb.ashx
Message Board Post:
Actually William Carley and Mary Bowden are mentioned twice - once in the listing of the
possible parents and again in the paragraph examining them. Even Cotton Mather is
mentioned. There is also a matter of logic with which to contend - if William was the
father of these five, why did he not have them baptized with his son John (any record of
John's birth or baptism?), or why did he neglect to have John baptized with the others
in Marlborough?
I also mentioned the baptisms of William and Mary Carley in 1717 and 1719 in Marlborough.
In the records their father is quite clearly identified as Bartholomew. William was
baptized 29 Sep 1717. Mary was baptized 19 --- 1919. They are designated as the
's' (or son) and 'd' (or daughter) of Bartholomew. Also in the record is
the baptism date for Job - 23 Oct 1715. The records of the children were transcribed in
alphabetical order, not in birth order, leading perhaps to some misunderstanding.
The issue of Hannah not being the mother of the seven 'Carlye' children baptized
between 1715 and 1719 is explained by the undoubted existence and presence of the younger
Bartholomew. His existence being established by the garrison list of 1711 and his presence
being established by the baptism records of 1717 and 1719.
Thank you for establishing William (husband of Mary Bowden) the mariner in coastal
Massachusetts, making it quite clear that he did not reside in Marlborough.
Grace Bully Bowden (not Carley) had been living alone as a pauper since at least 1707, her
landlord being Widow Henleys. (Records Relating to the Early History of Boston, Volume 10,
page 114, City Document 150. by Boston (Mass.) Registry Dept, Boston (Mass.) Record
Commissioners.) When she died in 1710 Mary Bowden Carley and family were already living
separately - and most likely in one of the ports, since her husband was a mariner.
There is a danger in following naming patterns too slavishly, or of interpreting them with
prejudice. My thought on the generational proliferation of the name William is that it was
likely honoring William the immigrant ancestor. On the other hand, what are we to make of
the near absence of the name Henry in later generations?
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