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Surnames: Carver, Walmsley, Carter
Classification: queries
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.carver/1199.1/mb.ashx
Message Board Post:
Maggie,
I have a third marriage for William Carver (actually a second, since it occurred between
his marriage to Joan Kinsey and his third marriage to Grace Carter.
William first settled in Byberry and lived there at least through 1694. After that he
moved to Buckingham. His descendants lived around Buckingham and Wrightstown. He was
married three times, although writers (including Martindale) have been confused about his
wives and children. First he married Joan Kinsey, at Middletown Friends Meeting in 1690.
He got a certificate from Abington in 1689 in order to proceed with the marriage. She was
living near Neshaminy Creek, Bucks County, and he was living near Poetquisink [Poquessing]
Creek in Philadelphia County, according to the marriage record. Joan died in 1692, leaving
a daughter Sarah.
In 1690 William and Joan (or Jane) were accused of misconduct by the Middletown
Monthly Meeting, where they were members.
"Whereas William Carver and Jane, his wife, are guilty of looseness in suffering
Nathaniel Harding to lodge in bed with them which probably did excite lust in him to lie
with her.inviting her to his house. She went alone then he made a second attempt though
she refused to fulfill his desire yet afterwards when known to her husband William Carver
he proceeded with him.whereupon they reached an agreement for a certain sum of
money."
Nathaniel wrote a contrite letter to the meeting confessing his fault, admitting to
"wanton carriage, rude discourse, and unseemly behavior". The Friends were
unsure what to do about William and Jane, so they sent a delegation to the meeting in
Philadelphia County to ask for advice. Several months later there was still
"dissatisfaction" about the marriage and a meeting was called to "hear an
end to the difference" between William, Jane, and Nathaniel.
William may have left Middletown Meeting, because his next marriage, after Jane's
death, was not recorded there. He married a women named Mary. Some writers believe that
her name was Walmsley. If this is right, then she must have been a daughter of Thomas
Walmsley and Elizabeth Rudd, who was born in England and came over with her parents and
her brothers Thomas and Henry. Thomas and Elizabeth had several other children who were
believed to have died on the trip, but the only evidence is the lack of further records of
them. William and Mary had six children together. The births of the first two were
recorded at Abington MM.
In 1723 William married Grace Carter at Falls MM. She was the widow of John Carter,
and the daughter of Mary White Paxson, second wife of William Paxson. The records of
Falls Monthly Meeting show that "Care to be given to secure what was left to
Grace's children by her former husband." This was routine, and does not show any
special concerns about William. William and Grace had a daughter Hannah together.
In his will, written in 1733 and proved in 1736, William named his then wife Grace,
children Sarah Marshall, Rachael Donkon, Rebecca Brock, Hester Knight, Mary Worthington,
Hannah and William. The oldest son, William Jr, was the executor. In Grace's will of
1737 she named children Robert Carter, Mary Deane, Martha and Hannah Beale. The first
three were children by her previous husband. Hannah was the only child born to William and
Grace.
Hope this is of interest.
Sue