Mercy (Wife of Thomas Marshfield) [?]^[1]

Abt 1605 - 1654  (~ 49 years)

• Name	Mercy (Wife of Thomas Marshfield) [?]  [1]
  Birth	Abt 1605	Exeter, Devonshire, England   [2]
  Gender	Female
  Burial	30 Sep 1654	Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony   [1]
  Person ID	I2022	Cooley Miller Sears Barnhouse
  Last Modified	2 Apr 2020

  
  

  Family	Thomas Marshfield,   b. Abt 1601, England d. Between 1644 and 1649 (Age ~ 43 years)
  Marriage	Abt 1632	England   [2]
  Children	1. Samuel Marshfield,   b. Abt 1626, Exeter, Devonshire, England d. 8 May 1692, Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts (Age ~ 66 years)   2. Mercy Marshfield,   b. Abt 1627, Exeter, Devonshire, England d. 4 Jul 1704, Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts (Age ~ 77 years)   3. Sarah Marshfield,   c. 25 Aug 1633, St Mary Arches, Exeter, Devonshire, England d. 9 Mar 1708/09, Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts (Age ~ 75 years)   4. Priscilla Marshfield   d. 20 Oct 1639, Windsor, Connecticut Colony
  Family ID	F760	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	1 Apr 2020

  
  

• Notes

  In the late 1630s Mercy's husband had become so embroiled in debt problems he disappeared from Windsor never to be heard from again. In doing so, his family bore the brunt of the towne's ill will. Mercy was shunned by Windsor's society with "much rancor and resentment toward her because of her husband's treachery". By 1649 she had fled to Springfield but all was not well even there. In a "Pynchon Court Record" for 29-30 May 1649 Mary Parsons, herself later convicted of witchcraft by the General Court and sentenced to hang, had reported that Mercy "was suspected to be a witch when she lived in Windsor and it was publikely knowen that the devill followed her house in Windsor". Mercy fought back by bringing a court action against Mary Parsons for making a false accusation. Mercy was in luck, because Mary Parsons's reputation was even worse than hers. Mary was sentenced to be whipped and to pay [1]

  
  

• Sources

  [S516] American Genealogist, "Thomas Maarshfield's Wife Mercy; Did Their Daughter Mercy Marry John Dumbleton?" Douglas Richardson. Vol. 67 (1992) pp. 11 - 14 (Reliability: 3). [S516] American Genealogist, "The English Origin of Thomas Marshfield of Dorchester, Mass., and Windsor, Conn.; New Light on His Wife and Children." Douglas Richardson. Vol. 63 (1988) pp. 161 - 163 (Reliability: 3).