Sarah Bliss

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Note: According to these dates he was 101 years old at his death. Mortimer Cooley in the Cooley Genealogy noted that Samuel Bliss was aged 102 at his death (101 years, 5 months).
From Boston Post-Boy, Boston, Massachusetts dated 17 Jul 1749. "On the 19th past [19 June 1749] died at Springfield, Mr. Samuel Bliss, in the 102d Year of his age: He was born in that Town, Sept 7, 1647; and has left alive 6 Children, 38 grandchildren, 114 Great-Grandchildren, and 10 great-great-grandchildren".
Children and death years: Samuel Jr-1st, 1692; Nathaniel 2nd, 1751; Sarah, ?; Margaret, est 1744, Thomas Bliss, 1767; Hannah, 1711; John 1784; Samuel Jr-2nd, 1724; and Ebenezer, 1784.
By my count four childern were definitely alive after 19 Jun 1749: Nathaniel 2nd, Thomas, John, and Ebenezer. Sarah's death date is unknown so if after 1749 she would be the 5th child alive.

Samuel married Sarah Stebbins on 2 Jan 1671/72 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. Sarah (daughter of Thomas Stebbins and Hannah Wright) was born on 6 Aug 1654 in Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony; died on 6 Nov 1721 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Died as a resident in the long meddowe of Springfield.

Notes:

I have downgraded Nathaniel's birth date to an estimation because it is not clear he or his father were members of the Church of England and the current Bliss descendant sources of baptism data come from Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers.

NATHANIEL BLISS of Springfield Massachusetts Bay Colony, (son of Thomas Blisse Sr and Margaret Hulings or Hulins) was born in England, came to America with his father in 1635, and removed to Springfield with his mother in 1643, about seven years after that place was purchased from the Indians by William Pynchon. Three years later, when they were well settled, he married Katharine, daughter of Deacon Samuel Chapin, of Springfield 20 Nov 1646, a few days before his sister Mary was married to Joseph Parsons. In Springfield his home lot was ten rods wide and was the second below the present William Street. He died 18 Nov 1654. Widow Bliss married Thomas Gilbert 31 Jul 1655. Nathaniel d..Springfield. Mass., 18 Nov. 1654, his mother d. there 28 Aug. 1684, thus accounting for Nathaniel not being mentioned in her will.
From: NEXUS, Vol viii, No 6, New England Historic Genealogical Society, pub Dec 1991:
(A-172) BLISS/CHAPIN \endash Nathaniel2 BLISS was the Son of Thomas & Margaret (HULINS) BLISS, poss a 2nd m. for Thomas. Son Nathaniel d .Springfield. Mass 18 Nov. 1654, his mother d. there 28 Aug 1684, thus accounting for Nathaniel not being mentioned in her will. (The American Genealogist 52[1976]:193-97, 60[1984]:202: and A.T. Bliss, Genealogy of the Bliss Family in America, Vol. 1[1982], pp. 27-32, 41-42)
Information supplied to NEHGS by: Eleanor L. Rue, 14201 Idaho-Maryland Rd.. Nevada City. CA 95959 and Elizabeth B. Kennedy, 77 Dockham Shore Rd., Gilford, NH 03246.

Nathaniel married Katherine Chapin on 20 Nov 1646 in Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Katherine was christened about 1626 in Berry Pomeroy, Devonshire, South West England; died on 4 Feb 1711/12 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Widow Katharine Bliss, about eight months after her husband's death, m(2) 31 Jul 1655 Thomas Gilbert; by him she had four more children. When Gilbert died 5 Jun 1662 she soon m(3) Samuel Marshfield 28 Dec 1664; by him she had four children making twelve in all. For most widows and widowers not much time was lost in mourning or widowhood*. For men with small children it was of utmost importance to bring a new mother into the family. But times were hard for a widow with little children too and men at this time outnumbered the women in the colonies so there was no lack of suitors for single women. *An exception to this was Nathaniel's own mother, Margaret Hulings, who didn't re-marry after her husband, Thomas Bliss Sr's death in 1650. She removed to Springfield in 1651 and quite admirably raised her young children of 8, 10 (twins), 12, 15, and 17. By this time the oldest three, Nathaniel, Mary, and Lawrence hand struck out on their own.

(Research):Devon, also known as Devonshire, is a county of England, reaching from the Bristol Channelin the north to the English Channel in the south. It is part of South West England, bounded by Cornwall to the west, Somerset to the north east, and Dorset to the east. Devon has also featured in most of the civil conflicts in England since the Norman conquest, including the Wars of the Roses, Perkin Warbeck's rising in 1497, the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549, and the English Civil War (1642-1651).
Berry Pomeroy is a village, civil parish and former manor in the former hundred of Haytor, today within South Hams district of Devon, England, about two miles east of Totnes. It was the caput (a Latin word meaning literally "head" and by metonymy "top") of a large feudal barony whose holder is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Ralph de Pomeroy, who held in total within Devon 54 manors, three smaller parcels of land and six houses in Exeter, capital of Devon. It was one of only eight feudal baronies in Devon. The family retained the barony until 1547. It comprised almost 32 knight's fees in the Cartae Baronum of 1166. The family came from La Pommeraye, Calvados, near Falaise in Normandy. - Wikipedia

Notes:

Married:
The records say the 9th month of 1646. Since the year ended the 24th of March at that time, the ninth month would be November.
From MVR: "Nathainell Bliss & Katheryne Chapin were married 9 mon 20 day 1646.

Notes:

Children's birth years derived from "Francis" passenger list.

Thomas married Hannah Wright on 14 Nov 1645 in Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Hannah was born about 1626 in England; died on 16 Oct 1660 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

There is substantial evidence that Thomas Bliss Sr was born in Gloucestershire, South West England and was married twice: firstly to Margaret Snowe and secondly to Margaret Hulings (Hulins, Hulinge). There are entries for these names in the records of the St Nicholas Church of Gloucestershire a church that was not affiliated with the Church of England. Due to religious persecution Thomas (hereafter Thomas Bliss Sr) and his younger brother George and their families embarked about 1635 at Plymouth England for the New World. Upon their arrival at Boston Thomas Sr resided temporarily at Braintree MBC (Massachusetts Bay Colony) whence he removed to Hartford Plantation[*] before 1639. George settled first in the MBC town of Lynn in 1637, then Sandwich in 1638, and finally Newport. Both Thomas Blisse Sr and Thomas Blisse Jr had house-lots and divisions of land in Hartford as early as 1640. The senior died in Hartford leaving nine children and his widow Margaret. Apparently a woman of resolute independent character, she removed with the younger part of her family to Springfield. - History of Norwich. The Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford lists Thomas Bliss (Sr) as a founder of Hartford settling there before February 1640. Other lists of Hartford founders also list Thomas Jr along with his father. [*]The first English settlers arrived in 1635. Pastor Thomas Hooker and Governor John Haynes led 100 settlers with 130 head of cattle in a trek from Newtown (now Cambridge, Massachusetts) in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and started their settlement just north of a Dutch fort (set up as early as 1623; abandoned 1654). The settlement was originally called Newtown, but was changed to Hartford in 1637 to honor the English town of Hertford. - Wikipedia
From: NEXUS, Vol viii, No 6, New England Historic Genealogical Society, pub Dec 1991: Thomas Blisse Sr d. apparently so suddenly, Hartford, Conn., late 1650 or early 1651, that he had no chance to leave a written will, merely telling Margaret and dau Mary that he left all his estate to her and nothing to his ch. (testimony of dau. Mary (BLISS) PARSONS, Hartford. (Probate Rec., Vol. 11:28, 14 Feb. 1650/1; nuncupative will of Thomas Bliss Hartford - Court Records, 20 Feb. 1650/1).
Thomas Bliss and Margaret Hulings have a Mormon posterity of approximately 270,000 and an American posterity of approximately 18 million placing them in the top seven largest families in America. (Mormon Pioneer Genealogy Library Acquired by NEHGS; Michel L. Call and Gary Boyd Roberts; Published Date: June 1985)

Thomas married Margaret Hulings on 18 Oct 1621 in Gloucestershire, England. Margaret was born about 1590-1600 in South West England; died on 28 Apr 1684 in Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Not long after her husband's death, Margaret (Hulings) Bliss removed to Springfield* where she was granted land as "Widdow Bliss" on 22 Jan 1651/52. Her house lot there was purchased from Thomas Tomson. She proved herself to be a woman of capacity...leaving an estate appraised at

Notes:

Married:
Married at St. Nicholas Church, Gloucester

Notes:

30 April 1634. Passengers of the Francis of Ipswich, Mr. John Cutting, captain, bound for New England (landed at Plymouth or Boston, MA): from the Pubic Record Office, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, England).
Rowland and his wife and four children embarked on the ship Francis in Ipswich England in the month of April 1634 bound for New England. The family first settled in Roxbury MBC. In 1639 they removed to Springfield MBC. Rowland's first land grant was on 24 Dec 1640, Lot 5 (10 rods wide) in the "second division of land". Later he received additional land and across the Connecticut River in Agawam.

(Research): Bocking is an area of Braintree, Essex, England, which was a former village and civil parish. In 1934 it became part of the civil parish of Braintree and Bocking which is now within Braintree District. The Deanery Church of St Mary, Bocking, is mainly 15th and 16th century flint and limestone, with 19th century restoration, built on a more ancient church site. St Peter's Parish Church was built in 1896-97 of yellow brick, in a design intended to be extended at a later date, and is still unfinished; its website describes it as "unusual in appearance from the outside". In 1862 Kelly's Directory of Essex already stated that "Braintree and Bocking, although distinct parishes, form one continuous town, extending for a mile on the road between Chelmsford and Halstead, and the rivers Blackwater and Podsbrook, and having a united population in 1861 of 8,186". - Wikipedia

Rowland married Sarah Whiting on 30 Nov 1618 in Bocking, Essexshire, England. Sarah was born about 1591 in England; was buried on 4 Oct 1649 in Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

There is no solid source for Sarah Whiting's birth.