More reasons to dismiss John Sutton and Elizabeth Skarlett (no _e_ at the end), who
married at St. Stephen's Church, Norwich, co. Norfolk, 4 Dec. 1627, as the 1638
immigrants on the _Diligent_ and parents of Margaret (Sutton) Carpenter:
On Aug 21, 2011, J D wrote:
>> On about three trips to England starting in 1959, Gerald
Knoff searched for records pertaining to John Sutton and his family. In Boyd's
Marriage Index, Norfolk 1626-1650, v. 6, p. 99, he found the marriage records of John
Sutton and Elizabeth Skarlette. He also traveled to the Church of Saint Stephen in
Norwich and viewed the Parish Register, and reported these records:
>>
>> Marriages:
>> John Sutton of Wortwell, single man married Elizabeth Skarlette of Norwich Dec.
4, 1627.
>>
>> Baptized:
>> March 11, 1631 John, first son of John Sutton
>> January 16, 1632 Margaret, daughter of John Sutton
The original St. Stephen's, Norwich, parish records contain no baptismal records for
either John or Margaret Sutton on or near the dates given. The entry of 11 March 1631[/2]
is for "John the Sonne of John Secker" (Parish Registers of Norwich, St.
Stephen, 1:45r [digital image 46 in FamilySearch collection _England, Norfolk Parish
Registers, 1538-1900_ > Norwich, St Stephen > Baptisms, Marriages, Burials >
1538-1653, online at
www.familysearch.org). Even if this had been for a John Sutton, he
would have been 10-11 years younger than Margaret's brother, John2 Sutton of Scituate,
Mass., who was 70 in 1691.
The entry of 16 January 1632[/3] is for "Marey the dafter [sic] of John
Rochester" (Parish Registers of Norwich, St. Stephen, 1:45v [image 47]). Gerald (or
co-compiler Dorothy) Knoff's reading of these records (published in their _Thirty-One
English Emigrants . . . _ [1989]) apparently suffered from poor eyesight, unfamiliarity
with 17th-century writing, wishful thinking, or some combination thereof.
Gene Z.