John Briggs (ca 1679-1728) and His Wife Ruth Barrow of Plymouth, Sandwich and Rochester, Massachusetts

John Briggs was born about 1679 [based on age at death] at Sandwich on Cape Cod, the son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Ellis) Briggs. I wrote about Samuel and Elizabeth here.

John “Brigs” of Rochester married Ruth Barrow on 23 December 1701 at Plymouth [Plymouth VR p. 88]. Her maiden name is recorded as Barnes but the will of her husband as well as a deed prove her to have been Ruth Barrow/Barrows. Some sources have the year of marriage as 1703 but I believe that is a misreading of the record which has an unusual style “1.”

Ruth was born about 1677, the daughter of Robert and Ruth (Bonham) Barrow of Plymouth. Ruth and John are my 8th great-grandparents on my Grandfather Arthur Washburn Ellis Davis’ side of the family. I wrote about Ruth's parents here.

Children of John and Ruth (Barrow) Briggs, all born Rochester [Hannibal]:

1. Keziah born 6 Sept 1702; married 11 Jan 1727/8 John Jenne/Jenney 
2. Sarah born 12 March 1703
3. Cornelius born 16 Nov 1705
4. Silas born 8 Sept 1708
5. John born 7 July 1711
6. Samuel born 5 June 1718, twin, died young/not named father’s will
7. Elizabeth born 5 June 1718; married Rochester 25 Oct 1733 David Nye

I descend from Elizabeth who I wrote about here.

John was a large landowner and both he and Ruth were involved in multiple land transactions.

John Briggs received 20 acres next to house lots 3 and 4 from the share of Elizabeth Ellis on 25 May 1701. [Rochester Proprietor Records 1:109]

Samuel Briggs, grantor, to “dutiful son John,” grantee 1/2 upland meadows on 11 Feb 1714. [Ply Co LR 11:94]

John and Ruth Briggs (in her name) grantors to George Barrow, grantee, two parcels of land, one in Plymouth by the name of Newfield and one in Plympton beside Southern Brook on 19 July 1723. Witnesses: Arthur Hathaway, Sarah Briggs, Ruth Barrow. [Plym Co LR 30:168]

Samuel Barrow, Ruth Briggs, children of Ruth Barrow, wife of Robert, and the children of her eldest son John (Barrow), deceased, George, Mehitable and Samuel Barrow, grantors, to Robert Barrow of Mansfield, grantee, house, barn, house lot and corn grist mill on 3 Dec 1725. [Ply Co LR 26:55]

John Briggs received 37 acres at Sippican Great Neck (part of his father’s 200-acre share) on 28 Jan 1726/7. [Rochester Prop Rec 1:179]

John Briggs died Rochester 2 March 1727/8, age 49 years. [Rochester Vital Records p 355 citing grave record) He is buried at Little Neck Cemetery in Marion. [Find A Grave ID No. 126487224] 

Source: Find A Grave

John was well-to-do. His will and inventory are quite lengthy, and his bequests included a good deal of land, farm animals, and money. His inventory is four pages long and his real estate alone was valued at £2,420. 

John Briggs, yeoman of Rochester, wrote his will on 28 September 1727 and named his son Cornelius and brother-in-law Samuel Barrow of Middleborough executors. Witnessed by Dorothy Wing, Ichabod Nye, and Timothy Ruggles. It was proved 16 March 1727/8 when Ichabod Nye and Timothy Ruggles made oath to Judge of Probate Isaac Winslow; Dorothy Wing didn’t appear until 2 May 1728.

Bequests:

• Wife Ruth third part of the income of his homestead or for his son to maintain her “according to her rank” all things needful for her comfort while she is his widow.
• Eldest son Cornelius westerly side of his homestead at the Great Brook in the Calves Pastime Neck; one-third cedar & spruce swamps;  three quarters of a share of common right in Rochester being half of what belonged to his father Samuell Briggs; all remaining stock of cattle and other living creatures and building tools; he was to provide for his mother in her widowhood and for his sister Elizabeth until she comes to age of 14. 
• Son Silas remainder of his homestead on the Easterly side down tot he Great Neck at Joseph Benson’s land; salt meadow owned in partnership with Joseph Benson; one half of his Calf Island; 20 acres of the two hundred acre grant of his Honored Father Samuel Briggs; one-third cedar & spruce swamps; two oxen, two cows, three young cattle of one year, fifteen sheep and his young horse.  
• Youngest son John all his lands and meadow at Charles Neck, other land and marsh, half of Calves Island, half common undivided land, one-third cedar & spruce swamps,  £220 of money within a year of his decease, two oxen, two cows, ten sheep and colt for Cornelius to keep for him until he comes of age
• Daughter Keziah £120—half money and half in moveables within three months of his decease to be paid in full amount; chest of drawers valued at about  £6. 
• Daughter Sarah £120 —half money and half in moveables within six months of his decease; chest of drawers valued at about  £6.
• Daughter Elizabeth £8 money to b e put to interest for her within one year of his decease; chest of drawers valued at about  £6.
• Brother Samuel Briggs fresh meadow in Rochester he bought of James Winslow on condition he let his three sons’ cattle feed there each spring; land he bought of Capt Seth Pope Esqr of Dartmouth with all the housing and buildings upon it in Rochester; 14 acres of additional land he bought of John Mumford; one quarter of a share of undivided & common right in Rochester being part of John Perry’s share. I don’t recall seeing an ancestor with children leaving land to a sibling.
• Kinswoman Ruth Barrow unmarried and living with her grandmother Briggs shall continue to live there until her grandmother’s death or her own marriage; also a chest of drawers. [This would be John’s niece Ruth daughter of his sister Hannah Briggs and her husband John Barrows living with her grandmother Elizabeth (Ellis) Briggs]
• His three sons were to evenly divided any further land. 
• Any money and moveables remaining after his funeral expenses and debts should be equally divided between his six children.

He gives his executors permission to sell and buy land, if they see a good opportunity, on behalf of his minor son John until he comes of lawful age. 

John Briggs' signature

Benjamin Hammond and Timothy Ruggles swore to John Briggs of Rochester’s inventory on 30 April 1728.  

Some items in his inventory that indicate wealth: a looking glass, three Bibles, silver spoons, and a gilded trunk. 

I am by no means an expert on colonial occupations, but John’s inventory sheds light on how he made a living. He or his wife/daughters created fabric, presumably to sell. They owned a loom, three linen wheels, some 232 yards of cloth, and twenty double skeins of yarn. He also owned some leather for shoe making. 

Twenty gallons of molasses listed in his inventory perhaps indicates he imported this large quantity to sell. That he was involved in commerce is further supported by a pair of money scales and brass weights listed in his inventory, and that he kept more than £6 in cash in the house. 

That he farmed, and on a fairly large scale, is indicated by his owning three yoke of oxen, more than 50 bushels of corn, flax, five bushels of rye, tobacco tongs, ten cows with their calves, five other cows, 23 cattle [cattle are any bovine where cows are specifically mature female bovine], a bull, a mare and colt, two additional horses, sheep [number is smudged], ten swine, and many farming tools.

Apparently he manufactured building shingles as his inventory included 2,000 new shingles. Also included is 500 new deal boards and 22 board logs at the sawmill. 

Sadly John’s inventory also included the remaining years of indenture for an Indian boy and girl valued at 30 pounds. My understanding is that Native Americans who were captured during wars and other conflicts were sometimes entered into indentured servitude. This was against their will, so similar to slavery, but with an end date when the servants would gain freedom. 

An interesting item in the inventory is “the old house where the ancient widow lives.”  Clearly his wife is too young to be regarded as ancient and his mother-in-law was deceased by 1684. This must be his mother Elizabeth (Ellis) Briggs as in his will he mentions his niece Ruth Barrows living with her grandmother Briggs in a house that he clearly owned. So now I know his mother Elizabeth, my 10th great-grandmother, lived to the old age of at least 83. I love “aha” moments in genealogy!

On 2 May 1728 Samuel Barrow was appointed guardian of John Briggs, under 21 years, son of John Briggs, deceased, and of Elizabeth Briggs, under 14 years. [Plym Co Guardianships and Probate 5:383, no 2841]

John’s widow was likely the Ruth Briggs who married, as his 3rd wife, Samuel Winslow (son of Kenelm and Mercy (Worden) Winslow) on 15 Sept 1739. [Hannibal] I have not found Ruth’s death record, but Deacon Samuel Winslow died 9 November 1760 and is buried Petersham, Worcester County, Massachusetts. [Find A Grave ID No. 131898605] I should think Samuel, and perhaps Ruth, went to live with family as Samuel’s son Kenelm lived in Petersham.

Sources:

Edna Anne Hannibal, John Briggs of Sandwich, Massachusetts and His Descendants, 1962:

Martin E. Hollick, NEHGS Register, “John Barrows of Plymouth,” Volume 166, April 2012

John Briggs will and inventory: Plymouth County Probate Record 5:384, No. 2880 [available at ancestry.com “Massachusetts, U.S., Wills and Probate Records 1635-1991”]

James Cudworth (1635-1697) and His Wife Mary Howland of Scituate, Massachusetts

James Cudworth was baptized Scituate in Plymouth Colony on 3 May 1635, the son of James and Mary (Parker) Cudworth.  [NEHGR 9:281] His father was a very important man in Plymouth Colony—he was Deputy Governor, a General in the military, commander in chief of the colony forces in King Philip’s War, and a man of conviction whose stance against persecuting Quakers cost him professionally and personally. I wrote about the elder James Cudworth here.

James Cudworth married Mary Howland before 1665, probably at Scituate, as their eldest child was born or baptized there 3 June 1665. [NGSQ 75:110 citing Pembroke Monthly Meeting records] Mary was born Duxbury, Massachusetts on 23 July 1643 to Henry and Mary (—?—) Howland who were Quakers. [GMB 2:1016-19] I wrote about Henry Howland here. Her uncle John Howland was a Mayflower passenger.  James and Mary are my 10th great-grandparents on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Ellis Davis’ side of the family.

James Cudworth Jr. was fined £5 in the Plymouth court on 3 October 1665 for “committing carnal copulation with his wife before marriage.” My personal opinion is that this charge was likely because the court did not recognize the Quaker marriage ceremony, so a child born to this unsanctioned union would have been deemed illegitimate by Separatists and Puritans.

James and Mary (Howland) Cudworth had seven children all born Scituate: [Pembroke Friends, Scituate Vital Records, 325:23]

1. James born 3 June 1665; possibly married Betty Hatch
2. Mary born 14 March 1667/8; living 4 Nov 1699; possibly her who died 7 March 1736/7 as Mary Cudworth [Lynn Vital Records referencing the Diary of Zacheus Collins]
3. Sarah born 13 April 1669; living 4 Nov 1699
4. Jo(h)anna born 8 August 1671; married Scituate 16 Sept 1696 Zachariah Coleman [Scituate VR]
5. John Cudworth born 2 May 1674; may have been the John Cudworth who married at Scituate 4 January 1702/3 Margaret Hatch [Archives of the state of New Jersey, series 1, 23:9]
6. Elizabeth born 4 March 1677/8; married James Tripp
7. Abigail born 9 March 1680; married Ebenezer Tripp

I descend from James. 

James (junior) served Scituate as surveyor of highways in 1671 and 1674. He obtained the rank of Captain in the Scituate Militia. [Deane] I have wondered if he served in King Philip’s War with his father but have not found confirmation of that. 

Because James’ father was an influential man in the colony, there is much written about him and he appears in a multitude of records. This has made it challenging for me to find information on his son of the same name. I’d imagine carrying his father’s name must have been a mixed blessing; perhaps he intentionally led a much more low-profile than his famous father.

Mary’s father Henry Howland of Duxbury wrote his will on 28 November 1670. Her bequest was 10 shillings and her brother Joseph was to pay 12 pence to each of his brothers, sisters, and their children. Henry does not mention his daughters’ surnames. [MD 19:33, citing PCPR 3:1:27]

Mary’s mother, Mary Howland, wrote her will on 8 May 1674, and left to her daughter Mary Cudworth £1. It was proved 26 April 1674 and a second time 8 April 1675. [PCPR 3:2:10]

In James Cudworth Senior’s 15 September 1681 will, James, as eldest son, received a double portion of a substantial estate, in addition to what he had already received from his father. The inventory was taken taken 20 June 1682 included £370 in real estate, including a house with 198 acres of land, 50 acres of marshland, undivided land at Conahasset, share of Freeman’s land, and another Freeman’s grant of land.  James was named executor with his brothers Israel and Jonathan. 

James expanded on the land he inherited from his father. James Cudworth Jr. was on the list of Scituate men who were “allowed and approved inhabitants,” to whom portions of the common lands were assigned by the Joint committee of the Court and the town in 1673. He also had land in Freetown in his father’s right and may have resided there for a time, but it seems he lived the majority of his life in Scituate. [Deane]

James died before 17 Dec 1697 at Scituate when his inventory was taken. 

He died intestate. On 17 January 1697/8, James’ widow Mary was granted administration of his estate, when she also made oath to the inventory. She signed the document with her mark. She and her son John Cudworth were to conduct and present an inventory. 

Oddly his inventory was taken before the letters of administration—on 17 December 1697 in Scituate, oath made by Mary Cudworth. It included “the half of the housing and lands which his father Cudworth died seized of” valued at £185, debts claimed in England due from his father's estate, books which show James was literate, cider & cider press, a gun, and various food stuffs and livestock that indicate farming. Mary Cudworth made oath to the inventory 17 January 1697/8. 

On 19 March 1697/8 Mary was involved in the estate division. “With the advice and consent of her children James and John Cudworth, sons of said James, and also with her brothers-in-law Israel and Jonathan Cudworth, for a division of lands left by the late Major Cudworth (also known as General Cudworth) when he died in 1682. Mary “and her children” were to enjoy half of all his lands, together with what they already had received (which was a freeman’s share of land in Freetown). The rest of the land was in Scituate. Signing were Israel, Jonathan, Mary, James, John, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Abigail Cudworth. Daughter Joanna did not sign as she must have been a minor; she married the following year. The lands were partitioned on 6 June 1698. [PCLR 3:73-74]

A full accounting of the estate wasn’t completed by Mary as she died between 4 November 1699 and 5 January 1699/1700 at Scituate. In December 1702 a citation was issued on the estate of James Cudworth, deceased, formerly granted to his “widow Mary Cudworth, who is also deceased not having rendered any account, remains, unsettled.” 

The Bond/Administration dated 4 March 1702/3 shows John Cudworth of Scituate as Principal. As Administrator, John provided an account on 5 March 1702/3. [PCPR 1:284, and 4:2:8, #5313]

Mary died at Scituate between 4 November 1699 (date of her will) and 5 January 1699/1700 at Scituate (date of her inventory). 

The widow Mary Cudworth was still a resident of Scituate when, “weak in body,” she drew up her will on 4 November 1699. Witnesses attested it on 23 Jan 1699/1700, but the inventory had already been taken on 5 January. Her will names sons James and John Cudworth and daughters Mary Cudworth, Sarah Cudworth, Joanna Coleman, Elizabeth Cudworth, and Abigail Cudworth. Bequests included beds, her wearing clothes, a pewter platter marked with two letters, two steers, two cattle, six sheep, and a shilling. Son John named executor. [PCPR 1:319-20] Accounts were filed by him on 5 March 1702/3, for Mary’s administration of James’s estate as well as for the settlement of the estate of Major Cudworth among his own children. [PCPR 2:11, 19, no. 5323] 

James and Mary are thought be buried were at the Meeting House Cemetery (aka Men of Kent Cemetery) in Scituate, without surviving headstones.

Sources:

Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins, 1995

Barbara Lambert Merrick, The Mayflower Descendant, “Plymouth County Probate Records and Files,” 41:19-20 (Jan 1991) and 43:209 (July 1993)

Robert S. Wakefield and Robert M. Sherman, National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ), “Henry Howland of Duxbury, Massachusetts, 1633, His Children and Grandchildren,” 75:2 (June 1987)

Nathaniel Shurtleff and David Pulsifier, editors, Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, 1855-1861

Pembroke Friends Monthly Meeting 1676-1776, LDS Microfilm No. LH 2173-74, RI Historical Society Library in Providence [includes vital records of Duxbury, Scituate and Freetown members]

Samuel Deane, History of Scituate, Massachusetts From Its First Settlement to 1831, published Boston 1831

Samuel Ryder 1601-1679 of Buckinghamshire England and Yarmouth/Dennis Massachusetts and his wife Anne Gamlett

Samuel Ryder (often seen as Rider) was baptized 19 June 1601 at Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, England, to John and Helen (Smith) Ryder. [Rider, citing Newport Pagnell Church Register] The only church I find that existed at this time in the town is St. Peter and St. Paul, built in the 14th century.

St. Peter and St. Paul, Newport Pagnell

There has been a great deal of misinformation about Samuel and his descendants in print and online. Fortunately George Bowman, late editor of the Mayflower Descendant, devoted much time and print space to straightening things out. One book where he found many errors is The Pioneers of Massachusetts by Charles Pope.

Samuel Rider married Ann/Anne Gamlett on 16 October 1628 at All Saints Church, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England. [Rider, citing registers of All Saints Parish, Northampton 1560 to 1642] Anne was born about 1608 in England; her parents not yet discovered. Genealogist Richard Rider did not find any other Gamlett records in the area and he believes her name may have been Gauntlett or Gantlett. Anne and Samuel are my 11th great-grandparents on my grandmother Milly (Booth) Rollins’ side of the family.

He is called labourer and maltster (malt was used in brewing beer) in the English records of his children’s baptisms and a land record concerning his son Samuel.

The Rider/Ryder name appears infrequently in Northamptonshire records. Richard Rider’s research shows that the Samuel of Northampton is the Samuel of Yarmouth, Massachusetts. There are deeds involved his son Samuel Jr. who is called “sonne of Samuel Ryder Sr sometimes lived in the Towne of Northampton”  and that Samuel and his father lived in the Township of Yarmouth in the jurisdiction of Plymouth. [Register 79:316 at the Northampton Public Library] Samuel Jr. received a bequest of land from his godfather John Smith of Kingsthorpe in 1637, a relationship to be further explored. A 3 December 1662 document signed by William Collier, Deputy, and Thomas Southworth, Assistant, of Plymouth in reference to a conveyance of this Kingsthorpe land states that Samuel Rider of Plymouth, son of Samuel of Yarmouth, had both lived in the colony for about 30 years.  Samuel Sr is called a “moultster” in the documentation concerning this conveyance. 

Samuel was almost certainly a dissenter, which would be a major reason for him to emigrate to New England. He left England with his wife and their three young children Samuel, Jane, and John after the December 1636 baptism of John in Northampton but before 7 January 1638/9 when Samuel was one of  nine men granted permission to “take up their freedome at Yarmouth.” [Hollick] [PCR 1:108] It is said that their son Zachariah was the first white child born there but I am not certain of that. [Stevens] This area of Yarmouth is now located in Dennis which was founded in 1793. Yarmouth is now in Barnstable County, Cape Cod, but at the time Samuel lived there it was part of Plymouth Colony. 

Children of Anne and Samuel [All Saints baptisms/burial from Rider, citing church registers, 1560 to 1642]:

1. Jane Rider bp All Saints, Northampton, 4 October 1629; buried there 5 September 1631 
2. “Parvulus” [Latin for baby] Rider born 1630-31; buried All Saints 27 August 1631 [he was less than a year old, but likely a newborn since no name is given]
3. Samuel bp All Saints 25 November 1632; married 1st 23 December 1656 at Plymouth Sarah Bartlett, daughter of Richard Bartlett and Mary Warren and granddaughter of Mayflower passenger Richard Warren; married 2nd Lydia Tilden, daughter of Thomas Tilden and Elizabeth (Bourne) on June 14, 1680 at Taunton; he died 18 July 1715
4. Jane bp 23 November 1634 at All Saints; living in November 1679 when her father wrote his will; NFR
5. John bp All Saints 4 December 1636; married but wife’s name unknown 
6. Zachary/iah was born at Yarmouth about 1638; married Mary —-; killed by the accidental discharge of a gun during Yarmouth military training in 1685
7. Benjamin born Yarmouth say 1640; married Mary Gray on 13 June 1670  
8. Elizabeth born about 1642 at Yarmouth; married John Cole 21 Nov 1667 at Plymouth; alive at time of her father’s will 
9. Joseph was born about 1644 at Yarmouth; married 1st a woman whose name is not recorded; he married 2nd Sarah Matthews, widow of Thomas Matthews of Yarmouth. 
10. Mary was born 6 September 1647 at Yarmouth [MD 15:26]; named in father’s will; NFR

I descend from John. 

This large family lived on the west side of Bass Pond, later Follins Pond, near the headwaters of the Bass River. The land was fertile and there was an abundance of herring and perch. The homestead was located on what is now on Edgemere Road in the Mayfair neighborhood of Dennis. [CCGS Bulletin Spring 2001] 

Samuel's homestead located near Mayfair Rd (source: CCGS Bulletin Spring 2001)

Samuel served on juries and was appointed to various committees. He was surveyor of highways (1653, 1666), Deputy to the General Court at Plymouth [1653], Yarmouth constable (1663), collector of Minister’s Tax [1671] and one of three makers of a tax rate to fund the expenses of the war [1676]. In 1658 he was a member of the Council of War. He was taxed £5 2 shillings pence towards King Philip’s War in 1676. He was on the 1657 list, as Samuel Rider Senior, of Yarmouth men who had taken the oath of fidelity. [PCR 8:185] He is listed on the colony’s 1643 list of Yarmouth men able to bear arms. [Shurtleff 194]

Samuel was active in the Yarmouth militia:

• On 10 October 1643 Samuel was appointed by the court to a committee to select a place to fortify for the general defense in the event of a sudden assault. [Hawes] 
• He is called Sergeant when he was appointed Deputy to attend a military council at Plymouth in June 1653, necessary because of the dangers of a war between England and Holland. 
• In 1654/5 he was removed from this rank because of the abusive language he used towards constables who were sent to press men into service. Likely reason for his being reduced to the rank of common soldier was his leniency  towards the Quakers.  [Swift’s History of Old Yarmouth] 
• He was re-appointed Lieutenant on 1 June 1658. [Stratton]
• In March 1683/4 the land of "Leift Ryder Deceased" is mentioned.

The Mayfair area where Samuel lived was settled mostly by Quakers but it seems unlikely Samuel was of that faith since he was an officer in the militia and held town offices. 

In his 20 November 1679 will, Samuel Ryder mentions wife Anne, sons John, Benjamin, Samuel, Zachary, and Joseph, daughters Jane, Elizabeth, and Mary. Unfortunately he does not mention his daughter’s surnames. 

”The last Will .... of Samuell Ryder senir of Yarmouth late Deceased exhibited to the Court held att Plymouth ...; the 2cond of March Anno: Dom 1679:80: on: the oath of Mr John Thacher as followeth "In the Name of God Amen this 20th Day of November one thousand six hundred seaventy nine: I Samuell Ryder of Yarmouth .... my Will is that Anne my loveing wife shall have and Injoy all my Estate both housings and lands and Movables .... During her Naturall Life or state of Widdowhood shee paying my Just Debts and Discharging my buriall; and after the Decease of my loveing wife I Doe Give .... all my housing and lands and meddowes whersoever, belonging or Acrewing to mee; To my son Benjamine .... except that prsell of Planting land in the prime ffeild, which I Doe Give, to my son John During his Naturall life; And then to Returne to my son Benjamine .... and incase that my son Benjamine Die without heire Naturally begotten of his body; Then all my housing, land and Meddows To fall and belonge unto the Next heire male, of my family, alsoe .... Samuell my son shall have five shillings of my estate, And alsoe .... my Daughter Jane shall have three Cowes to be payed in three yeers; after my Decease, that is one Cow in each yeer; and alsoe to my Daughter Elizabeth I Doe Give ten shillings; alsoe I Doe Give to my Daughter Mary ten pounds; to be payed in Currantpay within three yeers after my Decease; And alsoe I Doe Give to my son Zachery twenty shillings; and to my son Joseph I Doe Give twenty shillings; I Doe by this my last Will .... Appoint my Loveing wife Anne and my sonne Benjamine sole executors .... I Doe alsoe Request my trusty and welbeloved frinds Mr Edmond Hawes, and John Thacher to be helpfull to my Executors, as Need may Require, Concerning this my Last Will"

Witnessed by Edmund Hawes and John Thacher. Sworn to by Edmund Hawes 25 February 1679, before Thomas Hinckley, Assistant.  [The Mayflower Descendant 11:50-51 (1909), citing Plymouth Colony Wills, 4:1:45]

Samuel Ryder died 2 December 1679, age 78, at Yarmouth. He is called “Junior” in the record but this must be a transcription error as the date matches perfectly with the date of his will and his age is a match as well. [Yarmouth VRs 1:125]

The inventory of Samuel Ryder’s estate was taken 9 December 1679 by Edmund Hawes and John Miller. It totaled £237 10 shillings. Among the items were: "10 shoates Benjamine Ryder Claime the halfe” [shoat is a young, usually weaned, pig] "4 piggs Benjamine Ryder Claimeth half of them" "I Dwelling house barne upland and meddow 150 00 0” [MD 11;51]

"Anne the Relict of the abovemensioned Sam:ell Ryder made oath to the truth of this Inventory The 17th of January 1679 before mee Thomas Hinckley Assistant"

[MD 11:51]

Anne Ryder died 14 December 1695 at Plymouth recorded as “An rider the mother of Samuel Rider deceased.” Samuel died in 1715 so perhaps the record should read wife or widow of Samuel Rider which would be expected. She was likely living with her son Samuel and his family in Plymouth as she was quite aged, about 87 years old. [Plymouth VR 135]

Sources:

Nancy Thacher Reid, Dennis Cape Cod From Firstcomers to Newcomers 1639-1993, 1996

Richard G. Rider, The American Genealogist, “Rider Notes: The European Generations,” 43:120-21 (1967)

Marion Vuillieumier, The Town of Yarmouth Massachusetts: A History, 1989

Eugene Stratton, Plymouth Colony, Its History and People, 1986

Cape Cod Genealogical Society Bulletin, Spring 2001, page 8-10, map showing locations of homes of "Dennis First Comers”

Charles W. Swift, History of Old Yarmouth, 1884

Torrey’s New England Marriages Prior to 1700, pg. 625

Charles W. Swift, Library of Cape Cod History and Genealogy, No. 66 "The Rider Family of Yarmouth,” 1913

James W. Hawes, Library of Cape Cod History and Genealogy, No. 98, "Ryder Genealogy,” 1912

Simeon Deyo, editor, History of Barnstable County, Massachusetts, 1890

Martin E. Hollick, NEHGS Register, “The John Riders of Yarmouth, Massachusetts,” 80:128-139 (2005)

Torrey’s New England Marriages to 1700, 2:1276

Percival Hall Lombard, Mayflower Descendant, “The Seal of the Plymouth Colony,” 29:6

Robert Croll Stevens, Ancestry of the Children of Robert Croll Stevens and Jane Eleanor (Knauss) Stevens, Vol. II: The Genealogy of John Christian Croll 1707-1758, 1985

Nathaniel Shurtleff & David Pulsifer, eds., Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, in New England, 12 volumes, pub. 1855-1861