Mary Buckett (Beckett) (mtDNA)

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Status summary

As of July 11, 2019

  • Page created for Mary Buckett (Beckett), wife of George Soule
  • Recruitment of individuals who are mtDNA descendants of Mary Buckett (Beckett). Folks who are mtDNA descendants are encouraged to contact Raymond T. Wing (email: wing.genealogist AT gmail DOT com)

Paper Trail

The Soule Kindred in America has hired genealogist Caleb Johnson to research English & Dutch records in an attempt to identify Mary. One likely individual has been discovered, and while not proven, Johnson presents much credible evidence to support this likely identity.[1] Most of this biography of Mary is based on Johnson's research.

It is assumed that Mary Buckett, who arrived in New Plimouth Colony in 1623 in the Anne was the wife of George Soule.[2] While the list of the Anne passengers[3] gave her surname as Buckett, the spelling of this surname was still in flux, and has been spelled Bucket(t), Becket(t), Bucquet, etc.

The 1623 Plymouth land grant gave Mary 1 acre of land. This appears to indicate where she was on her own[4] rather than being a maidservant to another family.[5] Given her age, and the fact her family did not come over with her, it is believed she arrived as a maidservant to one of the families which arrived in the Anne (and achieved her freedom from this servitude immediately after arriving in New Plimouth). The likeliest candidate family is with the Warrens.[6] This is also supported (somewhat) by the May 1627 Cattle Division, as George Soule and his family were grouped with the Warren family.

Most maidservants achieve their position due to losing one or both parents. A Mary Beckett, daughter of John Beckett (II) and Ann Aldyn was baptized 14 Feb 1605/6 at St. Mary's Church, Watford, Hertfordshire, England. John Beckett was buried there 17 Jan 1618/9 and his children were apparently all bound out to serve apprenticeships.[7]

Mary and George had one child recorded in the May 1627 cattle division, so were likely married about 1625-1626. In addition, their last child was believed to have been born about 1651. Given these dates, Mary would have been born about 1605.[8] The family were among the earliest settlers of Duxbury and Mary is said to have died there in Dec 1676.[9]

George and Mary had five sons and four daughters. The daughters were Susanna (c1634), Mary (c1642), Elizabeth (c1645), and Patience (c1646). Elizabeth only had one son, so no living mtDNA descendants.

Second Generation

Susanna married Francis West. They lived in Kingston, RI and had seven sons and two daughters (Susanna and Martha).

Mary married John Peterson. They lived in Duxbury, MA and had six sons and three daughters (Martha [never married], Mary and Rebecca [only had one son]).

Patience married John Haskell (Hascol). They lived in Middleborough and had three sons and five daughters (Elizabeth, Patience [died unmarried], Bethiah, Mary, and Susannah).

Third Generation

Susannah West was born Plymouth in 1673 and died North Kingstown, RI between 21 Sep 1755 and 4 Apr 1758. She married Kings Town (now South Kingstown), RI 24 Mar 1691/2 Moses Barber. They had fourteen children (all born Kings Town): Dinah (1692/3 m. Edward Wilcox), Lydia (1693/4-c1716 m. Benjamin Mowry but likely had no children), Samuel (1695), Susannah (1697 m. Benjamin Perry), Thomas (1699), Joseph (1701), Martha (1703 m. Thomas Parker but apparently no children), Ruth (1705 m. George Bentley), Benjamin (1706/7), Mercy (1708/9 m. Samuel Teft), Ezekiel (1710/1), Abigail (1712/3 apparently died young), Daniel (1714) and Anna (1717 m. Sylvester Kenyon).

Martha West was born Plymouth about 1677 and died North Kingstown, RI 12 Dec 1764. She married twice, first Kings Town (now North Kingstown), RI 4 Mar 1702/3 James Card (d. aft 1706) and second before 1711 Jeremiah Fones. By her first husband (James Card) Martha had two children (both born Kingstown [now South Kingstown], RI): James (1703) and Martha (1706 m. Caleb Green & David Alverson). By her second husband (Jeremiah Fones) Martha had five more children: Mary (1711 m. Ebenezer Hill), Daniel (1713/4), Samuel (1714/5), Thomas (1716/7), and Squcie (1718/9 m. Samuel Place & Benjamin Cole, but probably had no children by either husband).


Mary Peterson was born Duxbury about 1680 and died there 16 Jan 1755. She married before 1711 Joseph Soule and they had five children (all born Duxbury): Mary (1711 m. Joshua Cushman), Alethea (1713/4 m. Allerton Cushman), Lydia (1714/5-b 1755 prob. never married), Hannah (1716/7 never married), and Rebeckah (1722 m. Gideon Sampson but likely never had children).


Elizabeth Haskell was born Middleborough 2 Jul 1672 and died Plymouth after 2 May 1717. She married Middleborough about 1699 Thomas Drinkwater and they had eight children (all but oldest born Middleborough): Walter Warren (1700), William (c1701), George (c1702), John (c1706), Elizabeth (c1708-p1729 prob. never married), Joseph (c1709), Samuel (c1711), Patience (c1713 m. Thomas Maxfield, but not believed to have had any children).

Bethiah Haskell was born Middleborough 1681 and died Rochester after Mar 1738/9. She married three times, first

Mary Haskell A Mary Haskell married Scotto(way) Clark at Rochester on 17 Apr 1706. This Mary has not been proven to be the daughter of John & Patience. mtDNA testing may resolve this uncertainty.

Susanna Haskell

  1. Soule Kindred in America, Mary Beckett research
  2. This assumption is based on the fact no other Mary has been found to have arrived in the Colony by the time of the 1627 Cattle Division.
  3. Technically, this was a list made at New Plimouth, granting land to the new arrivals.
  4. and likely at least 18 years old
  5. Otherwise it is believed the family she served would have received this acre on her behalf.
  6. Richard Warren came aboard the Mayflower with one child. His wife (Elizabeth) and the rest of their children came over on the Anne.
  7. The mother was still unmarried in 1622, so it appears she did not keep any of her children. It would have been virtually impossible for a widow to support her children without remarrying. Records do document where at least a couple of the sons served apprenticeships immediately after their father's death, and none of the children are later found in Watford records.
  8. Any older, and she would have been in her late 40s when her last child was born. Any younger, and she would have only been a teenager when married (which was VERY unusual for the time period).
  9. The inventory of George Soule's estate (taken 22 Jan 1679[/80]) has an expense to son John "Item for Diett and tendance since my mother Died which was three year the Last December." "Last December" would have been December 1679, and three years prior would have been December 1676.

mtDNA Results H1g1

mtDNA testing of three[1] mtDNA/umbilical descendants of Mary have all come up with the same Haplogroup. H1g1.

  1. Two of these results can be found in the Soule DNA Project mtDNA results

mtDNA Tested Descendants

 Mary Beckett (c1605-1676) m. George Soule
   Susanna Soule (c1642-p1684) m. Francis West
     Martha West (c1677-1764) m. Jeremiah Fones
       Mary Fones (1711-1754) m. (Capt.) Ebenezer Hill
         Ruth Hill (1744-1833) m. William Boone
           Mary Boone (1770-1840) m. Richard Jones
             Rebecca Jones (1808-1897) m. Peter Crouse
               Sarah Moriah Crouse (1833-1930) m. (Capt.) William Coleman
                 Mary Adelaide "Addie" Coleman (1855-1895) m. George Morton Redding
                   Ethel Emaline Redding (1884-1974) m. Edward Elnathan McDormand
                     grandmother
                       mother
                         tester
                       mother
                         tester

References and External Links