Monday, July 4, 2016

An Almost-Settler in 1639: Agnes GOSLING, est 1570-1639

Here's a very early settler to New England - but, she didn't quite make it.  She was one of a number of passengers on the "Jonathan" to Boston Harbour who lost their lives on the challenging voyage.

Agnes GOSLING.  She was born approximately 1570 in Weyhill area, Hampshire, England.  There are a number of Gosling families in Hampshire, but no parents have yet been proven for this very early period.   Although her marriage date is noted from those who seem to have seen the original record or an index, I have not yet seen an original where I would expect to find her father's name. The church below, St Michael's & All Angels, may be the one her family attended.

On 13 Oct 1589, Agnes married Robert BENT in Weyhill.  Robert was the son of John BENT who died in 1588.  Agnes and Robert apparently had 10 children, although I have only noted 7 names found in baptism records for Weyhill:

  1. Margery, bap 28 Mar 1590
  2. Richard, bap 7 May 1592
  3. Jane, abt 1594, d. 1631;  m. Robert Plympton, 2 surviving children
  4. *John [ancestor], bap 20 Nov 1596, d. 27 Sep 1672 Sudbury MA; m. 1624 to Martha [unknown-possibly Blanchard]; 5 children
  5. Maria, bap 24 Sep 1598, buried 2 Feb 1598/99.
  6. Dennis, bap 10 Dec 1599\
  7. Agnes, bap 16 Jul 1602, d. 1639 on voyage; m.Thomas Blanchard; infant died on voyage
Agnes' husband, Robert BENT, was a successful farmer, a yeoman, who was buried July 29th, 1631, leaving her a widow.  The overseer of Robert's will, Peter Noyes, encouraged moving to America, having travelled on the same ship as Agnes' son John in 1638, along with several other families.  Her son, John and his wife Martha left for New England on the ship "Confidence" which sailed out from Southampton on April 30th, 1638.

The following year, the widow Agnes GOSLING Bent, with her daughter Jane's only two surviving children (the Plympton grandchildren, Thomas & Elizabeth), her daughter Agnes Blanchard, husband Thomas and family, all set sail on the ship, "Jonathan" from Southampton.  

And as the ship arrived in Boston Harbor in June of 1639, Agnes died, never having set foot in New England.  Her son-in-law, Thomas apparently had her carried ashore and buried.  Her burial place is not known. 

A new beginning which started out with great hopes, with a very sad ending.  

If you have more information or questions about this ancestor, I would love to hear from you through contact information below.  Blogger is not allowing me to reply directly to any commenters, unfortunately.  However I am always thrilled when someone leaves a comment!   Thank you for stopping by and reading about the ancestors of my children.  

1 comment:

Barbara Poole said...

Celia, I often find errors in my old work by reading excellent posts, such as yours. You and I share Thomas Blanchard, but all my information about Agnes Bent was wrong! So thanks to you, I've corrected a few things.

Welcome!

Family, friends, and others - I hope you enjoy these pages about our ancestors and their lives. Genealogy has become somewhat of an obsession, more than a hobby, and definitely a wonderful mystery to dig into and discover. Enjoy my writing, and contact me at celia.winky at gmail dot com if you have anything to add to the stories. ... Celia Lewis