John Soule abt 1632 to by November 1707 and wife Rebecca Simmons of Plymouth and Duxbury, Massachusetts

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 9^th 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