William Pynchon's Magistrate's Book, page 56, held by the Harvard Law School Library.
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There is so much misinformation about Griffith Jones, born in Wales, died 19 Feb 1676/77 in Springfield, Massachusetts (1) that it just makes me sad. Numerous books, family trees, websites and blogs state unequivocally that he married Sarah in Wales, and that she was the mother of his 11 children. Of course, none of these cite an original source.
I state unequivocally that the wife of Griffith Jones, and the mother of at least 10 of his children was Margaret. I've just found that William Pynchon wrote in his Magistrate's book an entry dated 3 Mar 1653/53 which reads "Margarite the wife of Griffith Joanes being presented for breach of a Towne Order, in carying fire we find not her excuse sufficient, and therefore adjudge her to pay .5s to the Towne treasurer." (2) An image of this entry appears above.
The death record for Margaret does not give her name, but reads "Griffith Jones' wife dyed May the 6th 1665" (3). An image appears below, her entry is in the right hand column, halfway down.
Griffith Jones had 11 children, 10 of whom had their births recorded by the Springfield Town Clerk in Volume 1 "Births Marriages and Deaths, 1638-1728." Unfortunately the birth of my direct ancestor, his 11th child, was not recorded. He was indentured to Lt. William Clarke of Northampton in Mar 1678 at age 12 (5), which makes it probable that his mother was Margaret. Thomas B. Warren made reference to a "Court record at Northampton 1670 speaks of Sarah wife of Griffith Jones of Springfield - probably a second wife" (6). Did Griffith Jones quickly marry and was this Sarah the mother of Benoni? I find that unlikely. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the indenture yet, and Warren's reference is rather vague, but I'm also searching for that court record. I find it most likely that Margaret was the mother of all 11 children.
Despite what all these unsourced family trees, blogs, websites and books say, the date of birth for Griffith, and the maiden names of Margaret, and possible second wife Sarah are unknown.
Hopefully I will have an update soon, with the result of my searches for the indenture and court record.
Here are the children of Griffith Jones and his wife Margaret, all born in Springield:
1. daughter born 2 Sep 1645 "lived not longe." (7)
2. Mercy, born 4 Jul 1647, married James Barker 5 Jan 1675 in Springfield, died 27 Apr 1717 in Springfield (8, 9, 10)
3. Hephzibah, born 26 Jan 1648/49, baptized 28 Feb 1648/49, married Isaac Cakebread 20 Dec 1677 in Springfield, died 3 Mar 1685 in Suffield, Hartford, Connecticut (11, 12, 13)
4. Samuel, born 19 Jan 1650/51 (14)
5. Ebenezer, born 14 Jul 1653, married Mercy Bagg 26 Jun 1679 in Springfield, died 24 Jan 1735/36 in Springfield (15, 16, 17)
6. Thomas, born 9 Jun 1655, married Elizabeth Graves 31 Aug 1682 in Springfield (18, 19)
7. Griffith, born 4 Jun 1658 (20)
8. Griffith, born 28 Mar 1660 (21)
9. Experience, born 12 Aug 1662, married John Huggins 4 Feb 1684 in Suffield, Hartford, Connecticut, died 9 May 1714 in Springfield (22, 23, 24)
10. Pelatiah, born 22 Jul 1664, married Sarah Meakins, died 1745 in Springfield "This Year died at Louisburgh, belonging to this Parish" (25, 26, 27)
11. Benoni, born about 1666, married Hester Ingersoll 23 Jan 1687/88 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA, died 13 May 1704 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA (28, 29, 30)
Sources:
1. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 50, FHL #004375670, Image 61 of 594
2. Pynchon, William, 1590-1662, Record of cases before the magistrate of Agawan, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1638-1702, HLS MS 4344, Sequence 60, Harvard Law School Library, https://iiif.lib.harvard.edu/manifests/view/drs:50610470$60i
3. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 48, FHL #004375670, Image 59 of 594
4. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 179, FHL #004375670, Image 246 of 594
5. History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654, Volume I, page495, Note 2, James Russell Trumbull, Gazette Printing Co., Northampton, MA, 1898, hathitrust.org
6. Warren Manuscript, Births, marriages, and deaths, A-P, 1639-1843, Thomas B. Warren, FHL #008203035, Image 750 of 1034
7. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 6, FHL #004375670, Image 17 of 594
8. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 7, FHL #004375670, Image 21 of 594
9. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 16, FHL #004375670, Image 30 of 594
10. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 103, FHL #004375670, Image 115 of 594
11. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 7, FHL #004375670, Image 21 of 594
12. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 16, FHL #004375670, Image 30 of 594
13. Connecticut, Hartford, Shuffield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 7, FHL #007730434, Image 14 of 564
14. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 8, FHL #004375670, Image 22 of 594
15. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 9, FHL #004375670, Image 23 of 594
16. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 81, FHL #004375670, Image 30 of 594
17. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield deaths, Volume 2, page 6, FHL #004375673, Image 13 of 439
18. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 9, FHL #004375670, Image 23 of 594
19. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 17, FHL #004375670, Image 31 of 594
20. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 10, FHL #004375670, Image 24 of 594
21. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 11, FHL #004375670, Image 25 of 594
22. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 11, FHL #004375670, Image 25 of 594
23. Connecticut, Hartford, Shuffield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 16, FHL #007730434, Image 19 of 564
24. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 102, FHL #004375670, Image 114 of 594
25. Massachusetts, Hampden, Springfield births, marriages, deaths, Volume 1, page 12, FHL #004375670, Image 26 of 594
26. A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records, Volume II, Hartford District, 1700-1729, Charles William Manwaring, R. S. Peck & Co., Hartford, CT, 1904, Hathitrust.org
27. First Congregational Church (Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts), Church Records, 1736-1784, FHL #007578434, Image 58 of 665
28. History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654, Volume I, page495, Note 2, James Russell Trumbull, Gazette Printing Co., Northampton, MA, 1898, hathitrust.org
29. Massachusetts, Hampshire, Northampton Births Marriages & Deaths, 1654-1801, FHL #004329300
30. Massachusetts, Hampshire, Northampton births, marriages, deaths, 1654-1801, page 141, FHL #004329300, Image 84 of 464
