John Soule was born Plymouth about 1632, son of Mayflower
passenger George Soule and his wife Mary Becket. I wrote about George and Mary here. John’s birth is not recorded but
in a March 1705/6 deposition he stated he was aged “about seventy-four years.”
John is my 9th great-grandfather on my grandfather Arthur Washburn
Ellis Davis.
John married Rebecca Simmons about 1655, probably at Duxbury,
Mass. Rebecca was born about 1635, the daughter of Moses and Sarah
Simmons/Simonson/Symonson. Proof that Rebecca Simmons was the wife of John
Soule is found in a deed of gift dated 30 December 1674 (Plymouth Colony Deeds
Volume IV, page 43). Moses Simons of Duxburrow, in consideration of a marriage
between John Soule of Duxburrow and eldest daughter Rebeckah, all his purchased lands at Namaskett
(Middleborough).
Rebecca and John had nine children:
Rebecca
James
Sarah
Rachel
Aaron
Benjamin
Moses
Zaccariah
John
I descend from Sarah who married Adam Wright whom I wrote about here.
Rebecca died between 1675 and 1678. John married second ca 1678 Esther/Hester
(maiden name unknown) Samson, widow of Samuel Samson. She died 12 Sept 1735, at Duxbury age 95
years, 6 months, 6 days.
Esther and John had three sons:
Joseph and Josiah (twins)
Joshua
John was executor of his father George Soule’s estate and received
land at Duxbury. On 2 October 1660 John Soule of Duxbury along with 23 other
people were fined 10 shillings each for being at Quaker meetings.
He deeded Duxbury land in 1695 to his son Aaron. In 1698 he
mentions sons Benjamin and James in a deed. In 1703 he deeded land to son James
of Middleborough. In 1697 he deeded land to son John Soule of Middleborough. In
1701 he deeded land to sons Joseph, Josiah and Joshua. In 1712 Moses Soule of
Duxbury sold land which belonged to his father John Soule.
John died intestate at
Duxbury, but the date of his death is not known. His widow Hester was appointed
administratrix, on 14 November, 1707. Inventory of the estate of the estate of
John Soul of Duxbourrough was taken on 3 December 1707. The inventory included
one cow and heifer, 2 swine, a cow hide and mare hide that were at the tanners
in Plymouth, spectacles, brass and pewter, Taken by Thomas Delano, Abraham
Samson, Benjamin Delano. The record of this appointment and inventory is in the
Plymouth County Probate Records, Volume II, page 87. On 5 December 1707 there
was a separate appraisement of Mr. John Soul’s parcels of land in Middleborough.
Land included a lot of cedar swamp in the Six and Twenty Men’s Purchase, land
in Assawanset Neck, upland from the last division in the Sixteen, shilling
purchase and the share of Cedar swamp at Assonet, undivided land in the Sixteen
Shilling purchase, two lots in the south purchase. Total value 17 pounds 5
shilling.
A 5 March 1707/8 document
about the settlement of John Soule’s estate states that during his life he had
settled portions of his land by deed to all of his sons and that his daughter
Sarah had one cow, and daughters Rachel and Rebecka had nothing of their
father. Adam Wright on behalf of his children with wife Sarah now deceased,
John Cob and Rachel his wife, and Rebecka the wife of Edmond Weston mutually
agreed, taking into account the value of the cow Rachel received and the value
of the Middleboro land, that each of the women should receive 6 pounds 8
shilling 4 pence each. Sarah’s children, Rebecka Weston and Rachel Cobb were
also to receive some of the land mentioned.
Sources:
Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins, 1995
Mayflower Families in
Progress, "George Soule of the Mayflower and His Descendants for Four
Generations," revised by Robert. S. Wakefield, third edition, published by
the GSMD, Plymouth, Mass., 1999
