BENJAMIN CHILDE 1591-1658

[Ancestral Link: Lura Minnie Parker (Stagge), daughter of Minnie May Elmer (Parker), daughter of Mark Alfred Elmer, son of Hannah Polina Child (Elmer), daughter of Alfred Bosworth Child, son of Mark Anthony Child, son of Increase Child, son of Ephraim Child, son of Ephraim Child, son of Benjamin Child, son of Benjamin Child, son of Benjamin Childe.]

[Ancestral Link: Lura Minnie Parker (Stagge), daughter of Minnie May Elmer (Parker), daughter of Mark Alfred Elmer, son of William Elmer, son of Sarah Peak (Elmer), daughter of Lemuel Peake, son of Mehitable Perrin (Peake), daughter of Mehitable Child (Perrin), daughter of Benjamin Child, son of Benjamin Childe.]

Chapter 5
Reverend Benjamin Childe I - 1592-1634 (43 years old)

Reverend Benjamin Childe I was born on September 1, 1592 in Westminster Parish, Middlesex Shire, England.  Benjamin was the second of six children born to Wolstone and Ellen Empson Childe.  Because Benjamin's older brother Nathaniel and his younger brother Ephraim were both born within a year and a half of him, these three brothers were most likely close to each other and shared similar experiences.  During their childhood, Benjamin and his siblings would have received an excellent education, because they came from the literate Gentry class that lived in the wealthier regions of London.  It is apparent that the Childe siblings all received a Puritan upbringing from their father Wolstone, where they were all baptized and attended church services.  In addition, Benjamin and his brothers would have helped their father Wolstone in his profession as a cordwainer, making boots and all sorts of fine leather goods.

Although Benjamin was raised in a Gentry family of privilege, his upbringing was not without its share of trials and tribulations.  It is evident that Benjamin's childhood was more transient than settled, based on the fact that Wolstone Childe moved around London several times.  By the time that Benjamin was nine years old, he had lived in Westminster for three years, then two years in Stepney, followed by four years in Bishopsgate.  It was around this time period when tragedy struck, where Benjamin was only nine years old when his father Wolstone unexpectedly passed away at the young age of thirty-two.

While the tragic death of Wolstone Childe in 1602 devastated Benjamin and his siblings, they remembered the gospel principles that their father taught them from the Bible, which helped them to put their trust in God during their bereavement.  Benjamin and his siblings eventually moved on with their lives when their mother Ellen Empson Childe married Edward Warren the following year, which resulted in yet another move.  Hence, the Childe family moved to the gentleman's estate of the Warren family in the Aldgate Ward of London, where they attended St. Botolph's Church, which is located on the eastern side of the old Roman fortifications.



St. Botoph's Aldgate of London
where Ellen Empson Childe is buried

For the next several years, Benjamin continued his preparatory education, while assisting Edward Warren in his profession as a saddler.  During this time, Benjamin must have contemplated many times why the Lord would take his father at the young age of thirty-two.  Because Wolstone had taught his children the importance of studying the scriptures, Benjamin turned to the Bible to find answers for these difficult questions.  In his quest for understanding, Benjamin became absorbed in searching the scriptures and his desire to preach the word of God grew.  There is no doubt that the Puritan teachings of Benjamin's father were still prevalent in his life, which influenced him to be proactive in this religious movement.  Consequently, Benjamin made the decision to enter the ministry by obtaining a college education, instead of pursuing a vocation in the Gentry class.

When Benjamin Childe turned sixteen years old, he left the Warren estate in Aldgate and completed two years of formal schooling at the seminary in London, which earned him an Associates degree.  After thoroughly immersing himself in his schoolwork, Benjamin knew for certain that he would honor his father's love and passion for Puritanism by studying at the university that produced the first zealots of this religious movement.  As a result, when Benjamin was almost eighteen years old, he was admitted to Emmanuel College at Cambridge University on May 3, 1610, where he studied with the greatest Puritan minds of his generation.

Trinity College and Town Center of Cambridge University
England

Before the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, the majority of students who entered the ministry acquired their degrees from Oxford University, which was the first institution of higher education established in England.  However, after the Middle Way was offered as a compromise for the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, almost all of the Puritans that opposed Anglicanism attended Cambridge University.  The primary two figures that started this academic trend during the 1560s were Laurence Chaderton and Thomas Cartwright.  Although many of their Puritan prodigies at Cambridge University, including William Perkins, Paul Baynes, and Richard Sibbes, followed in their footsteps at Christ's College and St. John's College as well, there was no specific college at the university that was considered a Puritan foundation until 1584.

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, one of the  Privy Councilors of her court that secretly supported the Puritan movement was Sir Walter Mildmay, who had obtained a royal license from the monarchy to establish a new college at Cambridge University.  In 1584, Sir Walter Mildmay established Emmanuel College and chose Laurence Chaderton to serve as its first master, based on his zeal and reputation as one of the founding fathers of Puritanism.  Although Chaderton expressed some initial reluctance, he accepted the office after Mildmay made it very clear that he was erecting this Puritan foundation specifically around him.  The character of Laurence Chaderton is evident when Mildmay expressed that "he would rather found no college" if he did not consent.

When Mildmay returned back to the Queen's court in London, his choice of the college's first master revealed his Puritan intentions, thus invoking a concerned response from Queen Elizabeth.  Nonetheless, the monarchy did not move against the new college because it was never a threat in its infancy, where history makes it clear that Queen Elizabeth underestimated the potential of the acorn that Mildmay had planted.  There is no doubt that Queen Elizabeth would have shut down this new college if she could have foreseen its influence on the political events of the 17th century.  Emmanuel College not only became the primary foundation of the Puritan movement in England, but also produced one third of all university graduates that migrated to New England.



Emmanuel College
Established in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay



Puritan Leaders of Emmanuel College
associated with Benjamin Childe

The first twenty years of Emmanuel College were generally sloe-moving, based on the fact that new edifices were being constructed, along with little financial support for fellowships and scholarships.  However, when Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, the benefactions for fellows and scholars increased almost tenfold, which consequently gave rise to a thirty-year period where Emmanuel College produced the majority of its Puritan leaders.  After the death of Queen Elizabeth, the Puritans were hopeful that King James I of the new Stuart dynasty would accept their Millenary Petition of reforms, which were presented in 1604 by Laurence Chaderton at the Hampton Court Conference.  Because King James I firmly believed in the Divine Right of Kings, where monarchs were appointed by God and not answerable to men, the only issue that was resolved in this conference was the need for a new translation of the Bible.  As a result, Laurence Chaderton served on the committee of revisers that brought forth the King James Version of the Bible in 1611.

Puritan Conversion of Benjamin Childe
Emmanuel College, Cambridge

The five years that Benjamin Child spent studying for his Master's degree in Theology (1610-1615) is considered by many scholars as the pinnacle of Puritan influence at Emmanuel College.  This five-year "golden age" not only brought together the highest concentration of Puritan ministers at Emmanuel College, but also produced some of the most influential leaders of the Puritan movement during the 17th century.

While the Puritan conversion of Wolstone Childe was influenced from the first generation of leaders, Benjamin Childe's conversion to Puritanism occurred at Emmanuel College from the sermons and teachings of various leaders from both the first and second generations.  The first Puritan influence was clearly Laurence Chaderton, who served as the Master of Emmanuel College while Benjamin studied for his degree.  It is likely that Benjamin attended the advanced courses that Chaderton taught, along with hearing his eloquent sermons at special events.  His charisma as a Puritan minister was so powerful that congregations begged him to keep preaching after hours at the pulpit.  Although Laurence Chaderton was in his late seventies during the golden era, various records reveal that he never lost his fire, where it is remarkable to know that Benjamin Childe was influenced by one of the founding fathers of Puritanism.

The second Puritan inspiration in Benjamin Childe's life was Paul Baynes, who replaced William Perkins as the Rector of St. Andrew's Church at Cambridge University in 1602.  Because this church was attached to Emmanuel College, many of the students flocked to hear Baynes' fiery sermons, which were so radical for their time that he was eventually released from his post by the High Commission Court.  Nonetheless, Baynes still maintained his influence on many students at Emmanuel College, where he was instrumental in the conversion of Richard Sibbes as well.

The third Puritan impetus in Benjamin Childe's life was Richard Sibbes, who served as a Lecturer at Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge from 1610-1615.  During this golden era, many of the students from Emmanuel College assembled to hear the fire and ice sermons of Sibbes, which aroused all of Cambridge.  The eminence of Sibbes' preaching was so renowned that a special gallery was built at the church to accommodate the overflowing number of visitors.  Nonetheless, the Puritan influence of his sermons had become so great that the High Commission Court relieved him of his post in 1615.

The fourth and fifth Puritan influences in the life of Benjamin Childe were John Cotton and Thomas Hooker, who both served as Fellows of Emmanuel College during this golden era.  Because the Fellows were the primary teachers and advisers of the students, Benjamin received the majority of his Puritan training from these two instructors.  Although  Benjamin only overlapped with Cotton for three years, they created a friendship and a familial bond that changed the course of the Childe bloodline forever.  It is evident that Benjamin adhered to Cotton's views on Congregationalism, which were influential in bringing the patrilineal descendants of Wolstone Childe to the New World.  It is interesting to note how both of these Fellows sailed to New England on the ship Griffin in 1633, where John Cotton became known as "the Patriarch of New England," while Thomas Hooker created the "Fundamental Orders of Connecticut."

Puritan Leaders from Cambridge University
who taught Benjamin Childe

During the five years that Benjamin Childe studied for his degree, he refrained from getting married, because Cambridge University was run on semimonstatic lines, meaning that students could not be married and attend school at the same time.  By 1615, Benjamin Childe had completed his coursework at Emmanuel College, where he received his Master's degree from Cambridge University.  It is most likely that Benjamin earned this degree from scholarships offered by Emmanuel College, where the remainder of his support must have been supplemented by his stepfather Edward Warren, who had grown sick while Benjamin was attending college.  Consequently, Benjamin Childe did not immediately enter the ministry after he was awarded his degree, but rather returned to London to take came of his family.



Map of Benjamin Childe's Migration
as a Puritan Student and Minister

In 1616, one year after Benjamin returned home to London, both his mother Ellen Empson Childe and his stepfather Edward Warren passed away.  The plague was on the rampage throughout Europe during this time period and was most likely the cause of their deaths at such a young age.  In the P.C.C. Administration of Edward Warren, Benjamin Childe was named as the executor of the Warren estate, where the guardianship of his daughter's minority was placed into his care.  Thus, by the age of twenty-three, Benjamin had lost both his parents, which consequently placed the responsibility on him to finish raising his sixteen-year old sister Elizabeth Childe and his twelve-year old half sister Abigail Warren.

 

While Benjamin raised his younger sisters, he stayed active in his ecclesiastical duties within the vicinity of London, which ultimately prepared him to become a priest.  After eight years of raising his younger siblings, Benjamin's sisters had finally married, thus freeing him of his family obligations and permitting him to pursue a career in the ministry.  As a result, Benjamin entered the ministry the same way that every other Puritan minister did during this volatile time period, which was admittance through the Anglican Church of England, while hoping that the dioceses and parish where they were serving were Puritan friendly.  Hence, in 1624, an opportunity opened for Benjamin Childe in the western region of England, where he became a priest at the Anglican Church in Bristol.

Anglican Church in Bristol
Where Reverend Benjamin Childe left for Puritanism

In the Ecclesiastical Convocation of A.D. 1563, the Anglican Church passed thirty-nine articles that defined the Elizabethan Religious Settlement of the Middle Way.  When the religious movement of Puritanism became a threat to the Church of England, Parliament passed several laws that required everyone who served in the ministry in England to swear an oath to follow these thirty-nine articles.  when Benjamin Childe entered the ministry in Bristol, the clerical records reveal his oath and signature, which states, "I, Benjamin Childe, subscribe to the sacred ordinances, thirty-nine in all articles in which I vow to live by in becoming a priest.  Witnessed in the presence of Lord Robert Pronia in Bristol, September 19, 1624 agreeing to subscribe -- Benjamin Childe."

Map of Cotesbach Parish in Leicester
where Benjamin Childe Preached

After preaching the word of God in Bristol for several months, it appears that the Puritan inclinations of Benjamin Childe were discovered by the Anglican supporters of the Church of England, where shortly after he was transferred to a parish in a different shire.  It is difficult to determine if the Anglican Church relieved him of his office, or whether Benjamin resigned when a vacancy came open elsewhere.  Nevertheless, the one thing that is certain is the fact that Benjamin Childe accepted a position as a rector in a Puritan friendly parish within a few months after his arrival in the Anglican stronghold of Bristol.  Hence, Benjamin traveled across England once again to become the Rector of Cotesbach Church in Leicestershire, where the records of this parish state, "On February 12th 1625, Benjamin Childe was inducted into the Rectory of Cotesbach."

Map of St. Mary's Church, Cotesbach
where Benjamin Childe preached

The village of Cotesbach is located in the southwest corner of Leicestershire, just a few miles from the borders of Warwickshire and Staffordshire.  It is interesting to note that the parish of Cotesbach is part of the Lutterworth District, which is situated one mile to the south of the village where John Wycliffe started the Lollardy movement that was the precursor of the Protestant Reformation in England.  The village of Lutterworth was not only the place where Wycliffe spent the remainder of his days, but was also the center where the first English translation of the Bible took place.  Hence, Benjamin Childe's transfer to Cotesbach had come full circle in a spiritual sense, as nine generations had passed since his Child ancestors had studied the Bible with John Wycliffe.

 

Although the village of Cotesbach was relatively small, with a population of approximately one hundred people, it was an ideal place for a Puritan minister to spread his reformative beliefs without bringing much attention to himself.  During the subsequent years, Benjamin Childe maintained a low profile as a Puritan rector by preaching various sermons that taught gospel principles from the Bible, while serving the members of his congregation at St. Mary's Church.

After Benjamin Childe preached in Cotesbach for several years, he became acquainted with the daughter of the late Reverend John Shenton, who previously held the position of rector in the nearby parish of Crofts, where the church is named after him.  Around 1628, Benjamin started courting Sarah Shenton while he was in his mid-thirties, which was considered a relatively late start for dating based on life expectancy rates for this time period.  While it is evident that the rules of Cambridge University hindered Benjamin from seeking a wife when he studied for his degree, it is less clear why he never married while living in London.  Perhaps the responsibility of raising his two younger sisters preoccupied his mind during that difficult time in his life.  Nevertheless, Benjamin Childe and Sarah Shenton fell in love and decided to marry, where he was thirty-six years old when he proposed to his young bride, thus making him almost twice her age, as she as only nineteen years old at the time.

St. Mary's of Cotesbach where
Benjamin Childe was married and preached

 

The marriage of Benjamin Childe and Sarah Shenton was held in the small church of St. Mary's where the parish register of Cotesbach records, "On November 28, 1628, were married Benjamin Childe, Rector of Cotesbach and Sarah Shenton."  It must have been a satisfying experience for Benjamin to be married at the church where he preached his Puritan sermons every Sunday, which provided the unique opportunity for his congregation to be involved and witness this event.  Furthermore, it must have been pleasing for them to be married in such a small and humble place, where they could have a simple wedding that excluded the worldly vestments of "pomp and rags" that so many Puritans of their generation detested.  It is possible that Benjamin valued the cozy size of St. Mary's Church at Cotesbach, which is much smaller than most churches in England.  Moreover, the modest church also lacks the many stone monuments that Lords usually erected to honor themselves, which litter the naves of the majority of churches throughout England.  Because the parish of Cotesbach was a simple farming community that has remained constant to this day, nearly all of the members of this congregation would have been humble farmers, where a familial sense of equality must have existed.  Hence, Benjamin Childe was placed in an ideal situation where he could teach his Puritan principles within a community of simple people, who believed that adhering to gospel truths from searching the Holy Scriptures was more important than one's social status and economic situation.

St. Mary's Church where Benjamin Childe was a Rector
1625-1634

Children of Reverend Benjamin I and
Sarah Shenton Childe

The marriage of Benjamin and Sarah was a beautiful match of two bloodlines of strong religious depth, where both sides contained descendants that had not only devoted their lives to preaching the word of God, but had also taken up the spiritual struggle of Puritanism.  Although Sarah's father passed away while she was young, her mother maintained the Puritan fire burning within the Shenton family.

A few days after Benjamin and Sarah were married, they immediately conceived a child.  The fertility of Sarah is not only evident from her young age, but is also apparent from the fact that their first child, Elizabeth, was born nine months and eight days after their wedding date.  Within the next five years, Benjamin and Sarah gave birth to two sons, Benjamin II and Nathaniel.  The records of Cotesbach Parish indicate that all three children of Benjamin Childe were baptized by him at St. Mary's Church.  In addition, Benjamin and Sarah raised their children in the Rector's Manor what was owned by St. Mary's Church of Cotesbach Parish.

Rector's Manor of Cotesbach where
Benjamin Childe's Family Resided

It is most likely that Benjamin and Sarah Shenton Childe would have had more than three children, if it were not for the dreaded diseases that were killing thousands of people in England during the early part of the 17th century.  The most common of these diseases was the plague, which wiped out families and villages by the thousands.  It is probable that the tragic death of Benjamin Childe resulted from carrying out his duties as a priest, where he would have visited those dying of the plague in order to pronounce their last rights.  Hence, Benjamin's selfless sacrifice that he rendered to God, where he served his fellow beings during a virulent period, ultimately cost him his life.



Benjamin Childe Burial
St. Mary's Burial Grounds, Cotesbach Parish

Benjamin's last will and testament was registered in the Cotesbach Parish records six days before his death, which states that he "grew sick" from the plague.  As a result, Benjamin Childe passed on from this life on the cold autumn day of November 5, 1634.  His body was laid to rest in the Cotesbach Burial Grounds of St. Mary's Church, which was fitting as he served as the rector of this parish for almost a decade.  However, because his death occurred more than three hundred and seventy years ago, there is no tombstone or material marker that has survived to this day, because the majority of monuments from this time period have eroded or been destroyed over the years.  It is interesting to note that the minister who replaced Benjamin Childe at Cotesbach was Samuel Cotton, an ardent Puritan from the family of John Cotton, who was Benjamin's mentor and advisor at Emmanuel College.

Rectors of St. Mary's Church of Cotesbach Parish
Leicester, England

 

The tragic death of Benjamin at the age of forty-two left his wife Sarah with three children to care for, all under the age of five.  It must have been very difficult for her to raise three children as a single mother without the help of her husband.  The records of Leicestershire reveal that in 1641, Sarah Childe was still considered a widow because she had yet to remarry.  Although Sarah remained a widow for almost thirteen years, she was still able to earn a living and provide for her three children.  After Benjamin passed away, Sarah opened a bakery, where she sold homemade bread and pastries to the inhabitants of Cotesbach and the surrounding region.  However, by 1647, Sarah had found a gentleman from another religious home of Puritan rectors, where she married John Bradshawe of Darcy Lever in Lancaster.

In conclusion, Reverend Benjamin Childe I is revered as one of the greatest Childe ancestors that have ever lived, based on his desire to seek for truth and righteousness, which resulted in his willingness to follow in the sacrificial footsteps of his Savior.  While the early years of Benjamin's life were marked by tragedy after his father unexpectedly passed away, the greatness of this Childe is evident because he turned to the scriptures for answers, rather than allowing this trial to harden his heart and lose trust in God.  The fact that Benjamin Childe made the decision to be a Puritan minister after this tragic event speaks volumes about his level of exceeding great faith, especially in light of the opposition that was brewing against his religious movement.  There is no doubt that Benjamin was one of the most educated of all the Childe ancestors, as he studied with the greatest Puritan minds of his generation.  It is no coincidence that Benjamin Child was permitted to study at the first Puritan establishment in England and to take part in the "golden age" of Puritan teaching at Emmanuel College, where he obtained a graduate degree from Cambridge University.  It is apparent that Benjamin was a devout family man, based on his sacrifice and commitment to raise the children of his deceased parents.  It is heartbreaking that Benjamin's humble life as a pastor was cut short by the plague, which had once again claimed the life of a Childe ancestor.  Fortunately, Benjamin was able to have children so that his name and seed would remain upon this earth.  It is obvious that our Heavenly Father was mindful of this factor, and once Benjamin had accomplished the work that he was sent to do, he was able to return back into His presence.  Although this tribulation was difficult for Benjamin's surviving family to bear, it was definitely necessary and served a higher purpose, which will later be shown to have altered the course of his bloodline.  For without the untimely death of Benjamin, the migration of the Child family to America most likely would not have taken place.  Hence, Benjamin not only gave his life to God by serving his fellow beings, but also inadvertently laid it down in order that his descendants could find religious freedom in America.
Pages 181-197

"The Ancestry of Alfred Bosworth Child" Mark B. Child, Ph.D./Paul L. Child, D.D.S., 2008 printed by Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

Ancestor to Samuel Morse
Ancestor to Samuel Morse, inventor of telegraph

found on ancestry.com

JOHN PARMINTER 1588-1671

[Ancestral Link: Lura Minnie Parker (Stagge), daughter of Minnie May Elmer (Parker), daughter of Mark Alfred Elmer, son of William Elmer, son of Sarah Peak (Elmer), daughter of Lemuel Peake, son of Jonathan Peake, son of Hannah Leavens (Peake), daughter of Hannah Wood (Leavens), daughter of Mary Parmenter (Wood), daughter of John Parminter.]

Information about Deacon John Parmenter
John PARMENTER Deacon (William-2, George-1) was born about 1588 in England. In a publication (ParmenterStory) by Roland A Dahir, at the 400th birthday of Deacon John Parmenter he writes that, according to a Parmenter descendant, Marjorie J Parmenter and George M Parmenter, Deacon John was born in Sible Hedingham County Essex, England on 12 January 1588; he married Bridget in Little Yeldham on 12 June 1609; she was born at Bures St. Mary, Country Essex on 12 February 1589. He was buried on 1 May 1671 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts. John and both children are mentioned in his father (William) Will in 1613, but he inherited no lands or tenements from his father.

Following his father's death in 1617, John moved to about eight miles from Little Yeldham into Bures St. Mary. John's connection to Bures St. Mary can be seen in his association with Philemon Whale and Herbert Pelham, residents of Bures St. Mary who emigrated to Sudbury [The Puritan village, Sumner Chilton Powell, Appendix I, Wesleyan Univ. Press, 1963] A comparison of the signature of John Parminter as a witness in the original will of Henry Loker of Bures St. Mary with an autograph signature of Deacon John Parmenter as a commissioner of Sudbury, Massachusetts, 6 January 1639/40 shows that the two signatures were made by the same hand. [Suffolk County Court files, Boston, NO.162004]

In 1639 John Parmenter emigrated to New England with his wife Bridget and children Mary and John Jr; in his party were the widow Elizabeth Loker and her children. The name of the ship or port of departure is not known. John Parmenter was one of the original proprietors of Sudbury, and was assigned lands May 1640 by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay colony [Suffolk court files, vol. I, No. 304, microfilm #A360, Univ Massachusetts, Amherst]. John was chosen early as a Selectman; then Deacon, and Commissioner; he desired to be made Freeman 13 May 1640 [NEHGS Reg. Vol 13, 261], and made freeman 10 May 1643.

Following the death of his first wife, he married Annis (Bayford)(Chandler) Dane and relocated to Roxbury where he died on 1 May 1671; his will was dated 25 March 1671, and proved 25 July 1671.

John PARMENTER Deacon and Bridget were married about 1609 in England. Bridget was born before 1599 in England.
Found on http://www.parmenter-fam-assn.org/PPA2%20Cln%20090105.PDF
found on ancestry.com

biography
Immigration: 1639, sailed from Great Yarmouth with wife, Bridget (__), Elizabeth (__) Loker, widow of Henry Loker and presumed sister of Bridget (___) Parmenter, and two of her sons, John and Henry, as well as son John Parmenter. (TAG 147:377-382, 1993; 68:272, 1914) There is conflicting information about Mary. She was married to John Woods, October 10, 1633 in Bures St. Mary, Suffolk, England and may have come earlier with her husband. Or the Woods couple may have come with the Parmenters. Or John Woods may have preceded the family and Mary separately made the 1639 trip with her folks, with three small children.

Spouses:
1) Bridget, either Simpson or Perry. (There were two sister combinations in John's English parish with names Bridget and Elizabeth, born in the right time period to have been sisters, and also wives of John Parmenter and Henry Loker. One set of Bridget/Elizabeth's came from William Perry; and another from John Simpson.). Bridget died April 6, 1660, in Sudbury, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. She would have been approximately 70 years old.

2) Annis (Bayford) (Chandler) (Dane), August 9, 1660, in Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. She was baptized at Farnham, Essex, England, 12 June 1603. He would have been about 72, she 57. She was the widow of William Chandler, with whom she came to Massachusetts in 1637, and of John Dane, who was buried at Roxbury, 14 September 1658. She is an ancestor to President Ruthorford B. Hayes through a child with her first husband. He died ten years later, and she survived him by ten more years, dying on March 15, 1683, in Roxbury.
Residences: Sudbury (that part now called Wayland) by 1639 > Roxbury 1660. (The NEHGR article says that John Parmenter's Sudbury property was "adjacent to the corner of Bow and Concord roads in what is now Wayland.)

Occupation: Tailor (per items in estate inventory), operated a tavern (per permissions in Sudbury records)

Known as Deacon: He was known as Deacon Parmenter, a position of respect.

Life Events:
September 4 1639 - appointed one of the commission to lay out the land, May 13, 1640 - Granted freeman status, 1658 - Elected Deacon
found on ancestry.com

John and Bridget Parmenter
John - born about 1588, probably at Little Yeldham, Essex, England; died June 1, 1671, Roxbury, Massachusetts. Son of William PARMENTER and Margery. John, a tailor by trade, arrived with his family in New England from Great Yarmouth in 1639. He became freeman May 13, 1640 and served as a deacon and selectman of Sudbury, Massachusetts. By 1654, John PARMENTER was authorized by the town of Sudbury "to keep a house of common entertainment and that the court shall be moved on his behalf to grant a license to him" (Colonial Tavernrkeepers, Vol. 5, edited by Harriet Stryker-Rodda, 1982, page 19). His will, dated March 25, 1671 and proved July 25, 1671, names his second wife, son-in-law John WOOD, grandson John PARMENTER, and cousins CHEEVERS and John STIBBINS. John married second August 9, 1660 at Roxbury, Massachusetts, Annis BAYFORD (died March 15, 1682/3, Roxbury, Massachusetts; buried. there March 17, 1682/3), widow of William CHANDLER and John DANE. John and Bridget were married about 1609, probably at Bures St. Mary, Suffolk, England.

Bridget - born probably at Bures St. Mary, Suffolk, England; died August 6, 1660, Sudbury, Massachusetts. She was probably the sister of Elizabeth, wife of Henry LOKER. Bridget and Elizabeth may have been daughters of William PERRY or of John SIMPSON, who both had daughters with their names baptized at Bures St. Mary between 1585 and 1593.

Children of John and Bridget Parmenter
Mary - born about 1610, probably at Bures St. Mary, Suffolk, England; died August 17, 1690, Marlborough, Massachusetts. Married John WOODS.

John - born about 1611, probably at Bures St. Mary, Suffolk, England; died April 12, 1666, Sudbury, Massachusetts. Married about 1638 in England to Amy. Son: John married Anna CUTLER.
found on ancestry.com

John Parmenter
John - born about 1588, probably at Little Yeldham, Essex, England; died June 1, 1671, Roxbury, Massachusetts. Son of William PARMENTER and Margery. John, a tailor by trade, arrived with his family in New England from Great Yarmouth in 1639. He became freeman May 13, 1640 and served as a deacon and selectman of Sudbury, Massachusetts. By 1654, John PARMENTER was authorized by the town of Sudbury "to keep a house of common entertainment and that the court shall be moved on his behalf to grant a license to him" (Colonial Tavernrkeepers, Vol. 5, edited by Harriet Stryker-Rodda, 1982, page 19). His will, dated March 25, 1671 and proved July 25, 1671, names his second wife, son-in-law John WOOD, grandson John PARMENTER, and cousins CHEEVERS and John STIBBINS. John married second August 9, 1660 at Roxbury, Massachusetts. Annis BAYFORD (died March 15, 1682/3, Roxbury, Massachusetts; buried there March 17, 1682/3), widow of William CHANDLER and John DANE. John and Bridget were married about 1609, probably at Bures St. Mary, Suffolk, England.
found on ancestry.com

History of the town of Marlborough: Cheshire County, New Hampshire By Charles Austin Bemis

PARMENTER*
John Parmenter, probably the common ancestor of all bearing the name in New England, with his son John, was among the first settlers and proprietors of Sudbury, Massachusetts, and took the freeman's oath May 13, 1640. he was selectman in 1641; and he (or his son John) was on a committee of inspection into the moral condition of families, etc., February 28, 1655. His wife, Bridget, died April 6, 1660. No record of his death is found, but his will was provod 1671. His son John married, and settled in Sudbury; and in 1665 he was allowed to keep a house of entertainment in that town, he died April 12, 1666. His widow was Amee, who died in Sudbury, 1681.

He was the father of five children, among whom was George, who married, 1679, Hannah Johnson, and settled in Sndlmry.

Their oldest son, George, born May 5, 1679, married, 1701, Mary Bent. Deliverance, son of George and Mary (Bent) Parmenter, born December 10, 1709, ni., 1731, Ruth Hayden.
The: name of Parmenter is said to be of French origin, and denotes a mountaineer.
found on ancestry.com

More Details about John Permenter of England http://members.tripod.com/ntgen/bw/parmenter_index.html

Origins
See the Essex County, England Heritage Page
See this account of the Parmenter's in England
See his English family at The Stephen Lawson Page

John Parmenter was from Ovington and Little Yeldham, Essex County, England Top of Page
The Immigrant

1) Bridget, either Simpson or Perry. (There were two sister combinations in John's English parish with names Bridget and Elizabeth, born in the right time period to have been sisters, and also wives of John Parmenter and Henry Loker. One set of Bridget/Elizabeth's came from William Perry; and another from John Simpson.). Bridget died April 6, 1660, in Sudbury, Middlesex County Massachusetts. She would have been approximately 70 years old.

2) Annis (Bayford) (Chandler) (Dane), August 9, 1660, in Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachestts. She was baptized at Farnham, Essex, England, 12 June 1603. He would have been about 72, she 57. She was the widow of William Chandler, with whom she came to Massachusetts in 1637, and of John Dane, who was buried at Roxbury, 14 September 1658. She is an ancestor to President Ruthorford B. Hayes through a child with her first husband. He died ten years later, and she survived him by ten more years, dying on March 15, 1683, in Roxbury.

September 4 1639 - appointed one of the commission to lay out the land May 13, 1640 - Granted freeman status 1658 - Elected Deacon
Michael Roman Biography of John Parmenter
The Stephen Lawson Page
Born: About 1588, in Little Yeldham, Essex Co, England. (TAG 147:377-382, 1993)

Immigration: 1639, sailed from Great Yarmouth with wife, Bridget (__), Elizabeth (__) Loker, widow of Henry Loker and presumed sister of Bridget (___) Parmenter, and two of her sons, John and Henry, as well as son John Parmenter. (TAG 147:377-382, 1993; 68:272, 1914) There is conflicting information about Mary. She was married to John Woods, October 10, 1633 in Bures St. Mary, Suffolk, England and may have come earlier with her husband. Or the Woods couple may have come with the Parmenters. Or John Woods may have preceded the family and Mary separately made the 1639 trip with her folks, with three small children.

Spouses:

Residences: Sudbury (that part now called Wayland) by 1639 > Roxbury 1660. (The NEHGR article says that John Parmenter's Sudbury property was "adjacent to the corner of Bow and Concord roads in what is now Wayland.)

Occupation: Tailor (per items in estate inventory), operated a tavern (per permissions in Sudbury records)

Known as Deacon: He was known as Deacon Parmenter, a position of respect.

Life Events:
Death: May 1, 1671; Roxbury, Suffolk County Massachusetts, aged 83 years old.

Estate/Will: His will, dated March 25, 1671, proved July 25, 1671, names wife Annis, daughter Mary Woods wife of John Woods, grandson John Parmenter, cousin Bartholomew Cheevers shoemaker of Boston, and cousin John Stibbins

Notable Kin

Samuel Morse - inventor of the telegraph

Sources and Resources
NEHGR 147:377-382, 1993 - English Origins of John Parmenter NEHGR 68:262-273, 1914 - John Parmenter NEHGR 3:187, 1849 - Freemen List NEHGR 143:325-331, 1989 - The Riddlesworth alias Loker Family NEHGR 85:142-45, 1931 - The Ancestry of William Chandler of Roxbury, Massachusetts, Roxbury, Massachusetts Vital Records
Notes, Questions, Errata

That part of (then) Sudbury, that is now Wayland has neighboring towns of Marlborough on the west, Lexington and Woburn on the northeast, and Watertown and Newton on the east. Sudbury/Wayland is 20 miles due west of Boston. Marlborough is another 10 miles east of Sudbury. Roxbury is now part of Boston, about 16 miles east of Sudbury/Wayland.

Children and Grandchildren
Kansas Pioneers Lineage
1 John Parmenter 1588 - 1671 born: About 1588 in Little Yeldham, Essex County, England .... +Bridget [Perry or Simpson] 1590 - 1660 born: About 1590 in England .

2 Mary Parmenter 1610 - 1690 born: About 1610 in England, Probably Little Yeldham, Essex ....... +John Woods 1610 - 1678 born: About 1610 in England, probably Essex ....

3 Isaac Woods 1655 - 1720 born: July 15, 1655 in Sudbury, Middlesex County, Massachusetts .......... +Mary Maynard 1659 - 1689 born: About 1659 in Sudbury or Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts ........

4 Mary Woods 1687 - 1775 born: March 13, 1687 in Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts .............. +Abijah Bruce 1693 - 1774 born: November 27, 1693 in Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts ...........

5 Artemus Bruce 1728 - 1811 born: December 20, 1728 in Westborough, Worcester County, Massachusetts ................. +Mary Latiny 1732 - 1811 born: About 1732 in Probably Westborough, Worcester County, Massachusetts ..............

6 Elijah Bruce 1760 - 1835 born: January 20, 1760 in Westborough, Worcester County, Massachusetts .................... +Abigail Whitney 1763 - 1847 born: April 11, 1763 in Grafton, Worcester County, Massachusetts ..................

7 Abigail Whitney Bruce 1806 - 1884 born: April 2, 1806 in Marlboro, Windham County, Vermont ........................ +Nehemiah Willis Fisher 1805 - 1859 born: June 23, 1805 in Marlboro, Windham County, Vermont .....................

8 Eleanor Serepta Fisher 1843 - 1924 born: October 30, 1843 in Marlboro, Windham County, Vermont ........................... +Henry Gilbert Baldwin 1836 - 1894 born: June 14, 1836 in Dover, Vermont, USA ........................

9 Arthur Willis Baldwin 1876 - 1961 born: July 6, 1876 in Near Ada, Fountain Twp, Ottawa County, Kans .............................. +Inez Evangeline Hallock 1886 - 1976 born: October 14, 1886 in Near Milo, Lincoln County, Kansas

Related Links:
Ginny B's G Page has interesting information on the Parmenters, including John Parmenter's English lineage. (See Ginny's Home Page for allied lines, Pratt, etal.)

See the Parmenter Page for an interesting account of John Parmenter (and his son-in-law John Woods) in England and early years in America
The Pioneering Parmenters of America Page.
Sudbury History Page at the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce site.
found on ancestry.com

The New England historical and genealogical register, Volume 68 By Henry Fitz-Gilbert Waters, New England Historic Genealogical
GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH IN ENGLAND
Contributed by Miss Elizabeth French, and communicated by the Committee on English Research
[Continued from page 190] Parmenter

The Will of Gkorge P'menter thelder of Over [or Little] Yeldham. co. Essex, yeoman, 8 May 1591. To be buried in the churchyard of Over Yeldham. To the poor people of Over Yeldham 3s. 4d. To the poor people of Tylberye 2s. To Alyce my wife and Robert my son the lease of my farm where I now dwell. To Alyce my wife for life my freehold and land in Over Yeldham called Madges, with reversion at her decease to my son Edward and his heirs. Also to my said wife for life my copyhold lands and tenements lying in Tylbery, with reversion at her decease to my son Robert and his heirs, he paying to Chrystyan my daughter or her children £6, to Katherine my daughter or her children £6, to Jone my daughter or her children £6, to Alyce my daughter or her children 40s., to George Parmenter my son or his heirs £4, to Elizabeth daughter of Richard P'menter 20s., to Robert Page 6s. 8d., and to Jone Staniar dwelling with me 6s. 8d. I give to Edward Parmenter and Susan Parmenter, son and daughter of my son Edward. 40s., to be paid by my son William a year after he shall enter into my land called Bushaleyes in Yeldham Pva. To wife Alice for life said three and a half acres of land called Pushelyes [sic], which I bought last of John Browne of Yeldham Magna, with reversion at her decease to my son William. To my daughter Christyon a bullock. To wife Alice all household stuff, money, and implements of household in my dwelling house. Residuary legatees and executors: wife Alice and son Robert. Supervisor: son George Parmenter, to whom I give 3s. 4d. To wife Alice for life two acres of land lying in Dowries that I bought of George my son, with reversion at her decease to Richard my son. I have surrendered my copyhold lands in Tylberye into the hands of the Lord of the Manor by the hands of William Parmenter, in the presence of Mathewe Coldham [John P'ment his brother],* to the use of this my will. To ray grandson William Parminter of Cavendysb eight bushels of barley. [Signed] George Pmenters marke. Witnesses: Edward Raynsford, Roger Barrow Jun., and John Hardyng. Proved 12 February 1591 [1591/2] by Alice Parmenter and Robert Parmenter. (Commissary Court of London for Essex and Herts [Somerset House], 1591, original will.)

The Will of Robert Permenteh of Lytle Yeldham in the diocese of London, 22 April, 36 Elizabeth [1594]. To be buried in the churchyard of Lytle Yeldham. To Robert Permenter my son a cubbard, a table, a form, and 20s. To my daughter Joane 20s. To my daughter Amye 20s. To my daughter Jane 20s. To my wife Amye all residue of my goods and chattels unbequeathed, such as remain at her decease to be equally divided among my then living children. Executrix: wife Amye. Witnesses: John Storye, Edward Permenter, and Peter Cramfyelde. [Signed] The marke of the said Robert Permenter. Proved at Brancktrie 26 May 1594 by the executor. (Commissary Court of London for Essex and Herts [Somerset House], 1594, filed will.)
The Will of George Parmenter of litle Yeldham, co. Essex, yeoman, 12 November 1612. To be buried in the churchyard of Little Yeldham. To my wife Elizabeth my messuage and tenement in Little Yeldham wherein I now dwell and my free land in Little Yeldham for five years after my decease, and also my goods moveable and unmoveable, implements and household stuff, and cattle and chattels in Little Yeldham, she resigning all her rights of dower in my lands. To Margaret Taine my grandchild, daughter of Rose Taine, my house and grounds in Gestingthorpe, now in the occupation of Henry Fisher. To my grandchild Anne Taine, daughter of Rose Taine, 20 nobles, to be paid by my wife Elizabeth into the hands of Francis Purkas the elder of Nether Yeldham, for the use of the said Ann at twenty-one years of age. To Richard Parmenter my brother £10, and to his daughter Elizabeth 20s. To my brother William Parmenter my copyhold lands in Litle Yeldham called C[owell] alias Gouldwell, and to so many of his children as shall be living three years after my decease 20s. each. To my sister Christian Page 20s. a year for life, and to every one of her children 20s. each. To my sister Joane Stainer £6, and to every one of her children 20s. To Rose Tanne, my wife's daughter, 40s. To Francis Purkas, my wife's son, £5. To my sister Katheren Alyson 20s. To my godson Thomas May 20s. To Thomas Purkas, my wife's son-in-law, 20s. To the poor of Litle Yeldham 20s. To the minister that preaches at my funeral 10s. To my brother Edward Parmenter my messuage and lands at Hiningham at the Castle and my copyhold lands and the tenement thereto belonging, now in the occupation of Thomas May, and my messuage and tenement in Litle Yeldham wherein I now dwell with the free land thereto belonging, at the end of my wife's term of five years therein or at her death, if she die before. All other my lands unbequeathed, in Litle Yeldham, Hiningham at the Castle, and elsewhere, to my brother Edward Parmenter, except a parcel of meadow and hop ground containing one rod, lying in Litle Yeldham, now in the occupation of John Panell of Redgwell, which I will to my wife Elizabeth, she paying my funeral charges. Executor: my brother Edward Parmenter. [Signed] George Parmenter his marke. [Seal, a bird of some kind, not clearly distinguishable.] Witnesses: John Harrison, Edmund Browne, George Bucher. Proved 8 July 1613. (Commissary Court of London for Essex and Herts [Somerset House], 1613, original will.)

* The words in brackets are crossed out in the original will.

The Will of Willm Parmeter of Over [or Little] Yealdham, co. Essex, husbandman, 12 October 1613. To Margery my wife for life all my messuage and tenement where I now dwell called Tankerton, and after her decease reversion to Robert Parmiter my son, he paying to John Parmeter my son £5 one year after the decease of my wife; and if the said John die before the sum be due, reversion to his children, equally divided. To Margery my wife for life all my copyhold land called Cowell alias Gowldwells, and after her decease it shall be sold by Robert Parmeter my brother, if he shall be living, and the money arising therefrom is to be equally divided among George Parmeter, Ursely Parmeter, Sara Parmeter, and Margaret Parmeter, my children; and if my said brother be dead, then the land shall be equally divided among them. If my son George or my daughters Sara or Margaret shall die before said money be paid or land be possessed, reversion to my surviving children. My son Robert shall pay to John Parmeter, the son of John Parmeter my son, 6s. 8d. at the age of one and twenty years, and to Mary Parmeter, my son John's daughter, 6s. 8d. at the age of one and twenty years. To my son George and my daughters Sara, Margarett, and Ursely certain articles of furniture [specified] after the decease of my wife Margery, whom I make executrix. [Signed] Sign' Gulielmi Parmeter. Witnesses: Richard Hamon and George Bucher. Proved 19 January 1617 [1617/18]. (Commissary Court of London for Essex and Herts [Somerset House], 1617, original will.)

The Will of William Parmyter of Upper [or Little] Yeldham, co. Essex, yeoman, 20 May 1615. Edward Parmyter my son having paid many debts for me and having been unto me a good and dutiful child, I give him all my goods and chattels. [Signed] The marke of William Parmyter. Witnesses: Richard Browne and John Parmyter. No record of probate. (Commissary Court of London for Essex and Herts [Somerset House], 1615, filed will.)

The Will of Henry Parmyter of Little Yealdham, co. Essex, glover, 16 June, 17 James I [1619]. To Audry my wife for life that tenement where I now dwell and the freehold land to it belonging in Yealdham, containing three acres, and at her decease reversion to my son William, he paying after his entry into the land to my children, Elizabeth, Henry, Audrye, and Thomas, 40s. each. To my wife Audry all my goods and chattels, she paying to my children, Elizabeth, Henry, Audry, and Thomas, 40s. each at the age of twenty-one years or day of marriage. To William Boorham of Yealdham Pva, blacksmith, my copyhold tenement where Robert Okeley dwelleth, with the yard, garden, orchard, and croft of land in Yealdham pva. Executrix: wife Audry. Supervisor: brother Edward Parmyter. [Signed] Henry Permerter. Witnesses: Robert Onyon and Robert Poole. Proved at Brainktree 8 July 1619 by the executrix. (Commissary Court of London for Essex and Herts [Somerset House], 1619, no. 190, original will.)

The Will of John Cressall of Bures Hamlet* in the County of Essex, yeoman, 9 July 1625. To my brothers Henrie Cressall and Thomas Cressall 12d. each. "I gyve to my brother-in-lawe John Pannenter my best Cowe." All my other goods I give to Annet my wife, whom I make sole executrix. [Signed] the marke of John Cressall. Witnesses: Samuell Lyon and John Maynard. Proved 28 July 1625 by Sara, relict and executrix. (Archdeaconry of Sudbury [Bury St. Edmunds), Register Pearle, fo. 231.)

* The parish of Bures is on both sides of the River Stour, which separates the counties of Essex and Suffolk.

t This is evidently a clerical error, as John Cressall married 4 October 1616 Sarah Paxmenter, and she is named as Sara in the record of probate.

The Will of John Permiteb of Hedingham at Castle, county Essex, yeoman, 13 August 1644. To Ann my wife £50, the parlor chamber for her habitation, and all the goods therein and half the brass, pewter, and linen. To Thomas Permiter my eldest son £25 and my wearing clothes. To Nathaniell Permiter my second son 20s. To my grandchildren John Permiter and George Permiter, children of my son John Permiter, £4 each at twenty-one. To my kinswoman Ann Permiter, daughter of my brother Richard Permiter, 20s. at twenty-one. To my sons George Permiter and Joseph Permiter the residue of all my goods and chattels unbequeathed, and I make them executors. Supervisors: Thomas Purcas and George Taylor. [Signed] Signu' John Permitor. Witnesses: Edw: Button, Robert Permiter, George Taylor, and Nathaniell Mane. Proved 24 February 1647 [1647/8] by Joseph Permiter, one of the executors, the right being reserved to grant a like power of executor to George Permiter when he should come to claim it, as he did 3 March 1647 [1647/8]. (Commissary Court of London for Essex and Herts [Somerset House], 1647, no. 206, filed will.)

Parmenter Entries In The Parish Registers Of Bures St. Mart, county Suffolk, 1538-1630
1569 Robert Permenter baptized 23 October.
1586 John Parmynter and Katherine Cogshall married 4 October.
1593 Margaret Parmiter buried 27 November.
1616 John Chrisall and Sarah Parmenter married 4 October.
Parmenter Entries In The Parish Registers Of Little Ykldham,
county Essex

Baptisms, 156Jt-16$9* 1564
Henery son of William Parmenter 9 July 1564
Amy daughter of Robert Parmenter 17 September 1567
Thomas son of William Parmenter 18 January [1.567/8], 1567
Robert son of Robert Parmenter 8 February [1567/8]. 1570
William son of William Parmenter 24 February [1570/1]. 1571
Jane daughter of Robert Parmenter 5 June 1572
Edye daughter of William Parmenter 9 November 1572
Elizabeth daughter of Richard Parmenter 16 November 1574
Condense daughter of George Parmenter 25 May 1576
John son of William Parmenter 24 September 1581
Robert son of William Parmenter 30 March 1583
Jhon son of William Parmenter 19 January [1583/4]. 1585
Susan daughter of Edward Parmenter 18 April 1586
Robert Permenter son of William Junior 23 October 1588
Edward son of Edward Parmenter 21 November 1590
Samuel son of Robert Permenter 13 October 1592
Robert son of Robert Permenter 24 December 1594
Margarett daughter of William Parmenter June 25 February \V/t4/V 1595
John son of Robert Parmenter 16 November 1599
Alyce daughter of Robert Permenter 25 March 1599
Elizabeth daughter of Robert Permenter 14 October-1599
Elizabeth daughter of Henry Permenter 25 October 1600
William son of Henry Permenter 16 August 1600
Elizabeth daughter of Henry Permenter 4 March 1000/1), 1607
Robert son of William Permyter 16 April 1607
Thomas son of John Permyter 12 May 1609
Sara daughter of Henry Permyter 24 August 1610
Nathaniel son of John Permyter 13 March [1610/11], •Tin.- baptismal entries for 1593, 1597, and 1598 are almost tutii'ty iuii 1611
William son of William Parmenter 17 June 1611
Henry son of Henry Parmenter 30 January [1611/12] 1611
Anne daughter of John Parmenter 13 February [1611/12] 1613
Edee daughter of Edward Parmenter 9 November 1613
George son of John Parmenter 10 March [1613/14] 1614
Adria daughter of Henry Parmenter and Adria his wife 20 November 1616
James son of Edward Parmenter and Joan his wife 2 June 1616
Joseph son of John Parmenter and Anne his wife 19 September 1616
Thomas son of Henry Parmenter and Adry his wife 13 March [1616/17] 1617
Marie daughter of John Parmenter and Anne his wife 17 December 1617
Joane daughter of Edward Parmenter and Joan his wife 20 January [1617/18] 1619
Elizabeth daughter of Robert Pannenter and Elizabeth his wife 25 March 1621
Martha daughter of John Pannenter and Anne his wife 23 July 1625
John son of Robert Parmenter and Elizabeth his wife 25 April 1626
Anne daughter of Robert Parmenter and Anne his wife 14 January [1626/7] 1628
Robert son of Robert Parmenter and Agnes his wife 7 September 1629
Robert son of Robert Pannenter and Anne Fenner 24 May 1630
John son of Robert Parmenter and Anne his wife 18 April 1630
Samuel son of Samuel Parmenter and Elizabeth his wife 19 September 1631
Marie daughter of Robert Parmenter and Anne his wife 30 October 1632
Thomas son of Samuel Parmenter and Elizabeth his wife 19 August 1634
Robert son of Samuel Parmenter and Elizabeth his wife 22 March [1634/5] 1635
William son of Robert Pannenter and Anne his wife 14 March [1635/6] 1636
Elizabeth daughter of Samuel Parmenter and Elizabeth his wife 10 April 1639
Sarah daughter of Samuel Parmenter and Elizabeth his wife 21 January [1639/40]

Marriages, 1587-1639*
1597 Robert Pannenter, son of George Pannenter, and Alice Edwards, daughter of William Edwards, 22 January [1597/8].
1598 Henry Permenter and Awdrye Sparrowe 29 October.
1617 George Pannenter and Marie Usher als Clarke 12 March [1617/18J.
1621 Francis Whitinge and Adria Parmenter 10 April.
1626 Robert Parmenter and Agnes Ingam 24 June.
1626 Thomas Fenner and Dorothy Pannenter 4 July.
1636 Otwell Webbe singleman and Jone Parmenter single 1 November.

Burials, 1586-1639^
1589 Robert son of William Permenter 11 January [1589/90].
1591 George Permenter 7 February [1591/2].
1594 Robert Permenter 1 May. 1594
Amy wife of George Permenter 13 October. 1600
Agnys wife of William Permenter 6 March [1600/1].
1609 Henry son of Henry Permenter 15 July.
1610 William Permenter 4 April.
1611 Sarah daughter of Henery Parmenter 13 March [1611/12].
1613 George Parmenter 27 June.
1615 William Parmenter Sen. 3 June.
1616 James son of Edward Parmenter and Joane his wife 9 December.
1617 William Parmenter 4 December.
1620 Thomas son of Henry Parmenter and Adria hia wife 16 February [1620/1].
• The marriage entries previous to 1587 and for 1594-1596 are missing, t The burial entries previous to 1586 and {or 1688 and 1607 are
1624 William Parmenter 30 January [1624/5).
1629 Elizabeth wife of George Parmenter 24 June.
1630 Robert son of Robert Parmenter and Agnes his wife 26 June.
1636 Katherine Parmenter widow 24 December.

From Lay Subsidies* Fob Hinckford Hundred, county Essex
Little Yeldham
Little Yeldham
Sible Hedingham
Little Yeldham
Ovington
Bible Hedingham
Tilbury-by-Clare
Little Yeldham Sible Hedingham Tilbury-by-Clare
Belchamp St. Paul Castle Hedingham Little Yeldham
Sible Hedingham
Little Yeldham Sible Hedingham
Sible Hedingham
15 Henry VIII [1523-4]
Christyne Pmenter widowe 2s.
William Parmentur 2s.
William Parmentur junr. 4d.
(Lay Subsidies, 108/163.) 34-35 Henry VIII [1542-1544]f Margaret Parmator Richard Parmator John Parmator senr. George Parmator Thomas Parmator Nycolas Parmator John Parmator junr. George Parmator junr. John Parmentor
(76., 109/271) 8 Elizabeth [1565-6]
Robert Parmyter for lands [worth] 20s. tax 16d.
Richard Parmyter for lands [worth] 100s. tax 5s. George Permyter for goods [worth] £6 tax 6s.
William Permeter for lands [worth] 20s. tax 16d.
Kateren Permeter for lands [worth] 20s. tax 16d.
John Permyter for goods [worth] 100sv tax 5s.
(76., 110/425.) 14 Elizabeth [1571-2]
Robert Parmeter for lands [worth] 20s. tax] 16d.
George Parmeter for goods [worth] £7 tax 7s.
William Parmenter for goods [worth] £3 tax 3s. Widow Parmenter for lands [worth] 20s. tax 16d. John Parmenter for goods [worth] £6 tax 6s.
(76., 111/440.) 39 Elizabeth [1596-7] Nicholas Parmeter for goods [worth] 40s. John Parmeter for lands [worth] 20s. George Parmeter for lands [worth] 40s. Robert Parmeter junior for lands [worth] 20s. Edward Parmeter for goods [worth] 40s. William Parmeter for lands [worth] 20s.
(76., 111/518.)" 21 James I [1623-4] [The list is missing.] Robert Parmeter for lands [worth] 20s. [tax] 4d.
(76., 112/609.) 3-4 Charles I [1627-1629]
Robert Permynter for lands [worth] 20a. [tax] 4s. on the first assessment, 4s. on the second assessment. (76., 112/619, 112/627, 112/326.)
• Preserved in the Public Record Office, London.
t TUia manuscript is mutilated and the assessments are missing.
16 Charles I [1640-1]
Little Yeldham Robert Parmenter for lands [worth] 20s. [tax] 8d.
(76., 112/646.)

From Chancery Proceedings
On 21 June 1607 Roger Golding complains that about ten years since John Parmentcr, late of Sudbury, deceased, made a will by which he appointed the complainant and one John Parmenter executors of his estate of some £800, with lands in Sudbury, Tilbury, Little Yeldham, etc., and died about two years since. By said will testator left his estate to the wife of the complainant and her children and to others of his kindred and friends. But one William Parminter has secured for himself administration on the said estate, and in confederacy with John Parminter has seized and embezzled the estate of the deceased, and has not distributed it according to the latter's will.

William Parmenter, one of the defendants, brother and administrator of the late John Parmenter of Sudbury, maltster, replies that as complainant sues as one of the executors of a pretended will of deceased, said complainant should be joined as complainant with John Parminter, the other executor of the pretended will, and should not make the latter a defendant. This defendant knows nothing of any will made ten years ago, but has heard the other defendant, John Parminter, say that about 28 Elizabeth [1585-6] deceased did make a will appointing complainant and said defendant, John Parminter, as executors, and the said complainant did show this defendant a copy of the same and said that he intended to sue this defendant in the ecclesiastical courts, but he has not done so, and defendant doubts if such a will existed, as two years after the time of said pretended will said deceased loaned complainant over £40, which he would not have done had he made him executor of his estate. And moreover this defendant can prove by witnesses that on 24 September 1603 the deceased stated that one William Parmiter, son of this defendant, should have all the estate of deceased. On the death of said deceased this defendant, believing that deceased died intestate, did sue forth administration on his estate in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (deceased having estate in divers dioceses), which was granted to this defendant 19 September 1605. Deceased died 24 August 1605, possessed of an estate much smaller than is claimed by the complainant; and with the consent of John Parmiter and of Thomas Smith and of Edith his wife, sister of the deceased, this defendant had the estate appraised, which amounted to £200. 12s. The debts of the deceased were £47. 7s. 4d. The defendant, John Parmiter, received as his share of the estate £43. Is. 6d., and said Smith and Edith his wife about £40. The costs of administration were £23. 16s. 8d. The house in Sudbury called "The Gallerye" was the freehold of the said John Parminter, deceased, who with one Peregrine Parker, gent., did purchase the same in fee simple of one Peter Whyte on 6 June, 35 Elizabeth [1593], and on the death of the said Parker said John Parminter had the whole as survivor in fee simple, and, he dying without issue, it came to this defendant as his brother and next heir. Defendant denies any conspiracy with the other defendant, John Panninter.
The other defendant, John Parminter, replies that he thinks that John Parminter, deceased, made a will about 28 Elizabeth [1585-6], but knows not if it remained in existence until his death. Lately complainant sent his son to this defendant to show to this defendant a copy of said will, by which deceased left to his brother William Parminter, the other defendant, for life, lands, etc., in Little Yeldham, with reversion to Henry Parminter, said William's son, and left to this defendant, another brother, for life, lands in Little Yeldham, Tilbury, etc., with reversion to John Parminter, this defendant's son. Also he left to the said William £20 and to his children 6s. 8d. apiece, to this defendant £20 and to his children 6s. 8d. apiece, to the three children of Thomas Smith of Little Maplestead 40s. apiece, to Jone, wife of this defendant, cloth for a gown, to the complainant £5 and three guns, to the wife of the complainant (who died long before the testator) 20s., and to Thomas Golding 20s. This defendant prays that the complainant be required to bring the original will into court, as according to said will the testator left certain lands to this defendant and his children, which have been taken by the other defendant as eldest brother and heir. Deceased died about two years ago and about nineteen years after making said will. Complainant has long concealed the will for some sinister purpose, and as this defendant was unable to find any will of deceased, the other defendant obtained administration on the estate, and this defendant has received one third of the goods, according to the inventory in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. This defendant denies any conspiracy with the other defendant, William Parminter. (Chancery Proceedings, James I, Bundle G-8, No. 43.)

[From the foregoing records and from some other sources the following information about the Parmenter families of Little Yeldham, county Essex, and about the ancestry of Deacon John Parmenter of Sudbury and Roxbury, Massachusetts, has been derived:

William Parmenter, Sr., born probably about 1465, appears, with other Parmenters, at Little Yeldham, county Essex, in the subsidy of 1523-4.

John Parmenter, Sr., George Parmenter, Sr., Richard Parmenteh, Thomas Parmenter, and Nicholas Parmenter appear at Little Yeldham in the subsidy of 1542-1544. They belong apparently to the generation immediately following that to which William Parmenter, Sr., belongs. No wills have been found which throw light on the exact relationship of these men to one another or on their respective families; but doubtless the fathers of some of the Parmenters of the next generation are included in this list of names.

These men of the next generation are John Parmenter, born probably about 1515, and probably the progenitor of Family A, given below; George Parmenter, born probably about 1520, progenitor of Family B, given below; Richard Parmenter of Little Yeldham, who appears in the subsidy of 1565-6; and Robert Parmenter, born probably about 1530, progenitor of Family C, given below.

Family A
1. John Parmenter, of Little Yeldham, county Essex, born probably about 1515, appears as John Parmenter, Jr., at Little Yeldham in the subsidy of 1542-1544, and is found later in the adjoining parish of Tilbury-by-Clare, co. Essex, in the subsidies of 1565-6 and 1571-2.

The following were probably his children:
i. John, settled in Sudbury, county Suffolk, where he was a brewer or maltster, and died 24 August 1605, leaving no issue. He appears in several entries in the Sudbury borough records from 1597 to 1604 (register, vol. 66, pp. 170^171). His estate was contested in Chancery by Roger Golding in 1607.

ii. William, born about 1540. He was one of the defendants in the Chancery suit brought by Roger Golding in 1607.

iii. John, married Jone . He was the other defendant in the abovementioned suit. Children: John (eldest son), and others.

iv. Edith, married Thomas Smith of Little Maplestead, county Essex; had issue.

v. A Daughter, probably married Roger Goldino.

2. William Parmenter (John), of Little Yeldham, county Essex, the testator of 1615, born probably about 1540, was buried at Little Yeldham 3 June 1615. He married, about 1563, Agnes , who was buried at Little Yeldham 6 March 1600/1. He was one of the defendants in the Chancery suit brought by Roger Golding.

Children: i. Henry, of Little Yeldham, glover, the testator of 1619, baptized at Little
Yeldham 9 July 1564; married. there, 29 October 1598, Audrey Sparrow, who married (2) at Little Yeldham, 10 April 1621, Francis Whiting.

Children, recorded at Little Yeldham:
1. Elizabeth, baptized 25 October 1599; probably died young.
2. William, baptized 16 August 1600.
3. Elizabeth, baptized 4 March 1600/1 [sic, ? 1601/2].
4. Henry, buried 15 July l609.
5. Sarah, baptized 24 August 1609; buried 13 March 1611/12.
6. Henry, baptized 30 January 1611/12.
7. Audrey, baptized 20 November 1614.
8. Thomas, baptized 13 March 1616/17; buried 16 February 1620/1.

ii. Thomas, baptized at Little Yeldham 18 January 1567/8.

iii. William, baptized at Little Yeldham 24 February 1570/1; buried there 4 April 1610.

iv. Edith, baptized at Little Yeldham 9 November 1572.

v. Edward, named in the wills of his father and brother Henry; married Joane. Children, baptized. at Little Yeldham:
1. Edith, baptized 9 November 1613.
2. James, baptized 2 June 1616.
3. Joane, baptized 20 January 1617/18.

vi. John, baptized at Little Yeldham 24 September 1576; probably died young,

vii. Richard. Child: 1. Ann, under 21 in 1644.

viii. Robert, baptized at Little Yeldham 30 March 1581; buried there 11 Jananuary 1589/90.

ix. John, of Yeldham and later of Castle Hedingham, county Essex, the testator of 1644, baptized at Little Yeldham 19 January 1583/4; married about 1606 Anne. Children, recorded at Little Yeldham:
1. Thomas, baptized 12 May 1607.
2. Nathaniel, baptized 13 March 1610/11.
3. Anne, baptized 13 February 1611/12.
4. George, baptized 10 March 1613/14.
5. Joseph, baptized 19 September 1616.
6. Mary, baptized 17 December 1617.
7. John, born probably about 1619.
8. Martha, baptized 23 July 1621.

Family B
1. George Parmenter, of Little Yeldham (also called Over Yeldham and Upper Yeldham), county Essex, the testator of 1591, born probably about 1520, was buried at Little Yeldham 7 February 1591/2. He married Alice — . He appears at Little Yeldham as George Parmenter, Jr., in the subsidy of 1542-1544, is next found in the adjoining parish of Ovington in the subsidy of 1565-6, and appears again at Little Yeldham in the subsidy of 1571-2.

Children:
i. Robert, born probably about 1545; living in 1613, when he is mentioned in the will of his brother William. Child (probably): 1. William, called of Cavendish, county Suffolk, in the will of his grandfather, George Parmenter, in 1591.

ii. Christian, m. Page; had issue.

iii. Richard, of Little Yeldham, living in 1612. He was a legatee in the will of his brother George. Child:
1. Elizabeth, baptized at Little Yeldham 16 November 1572; mentioned in the wills of her grandfather and her uncle George.

iv. George, born probably about 1550.

v. Katherine, married Allison; had issue.

vi. Jone, mied Stainer; had issue.

vii. Edward, appears at Little Yeldham in a subsidy in 1596-7; living in 1612, being named in the will of his brother George. Children, named in the will of their grandfather:
1. Susan, baptized at Little Yeldham 18 April 1585.
2. Edward, baptized at Little Yeldham 2t November 1588.

3. viii. William, born probably about 1560.

ix. Alice.

2. George Parmenter (George), of Little Yeldham, county. Essex, yeoman, the testator of 1612, born probably about 1550, was buried at Little Yeldham 27 June 1613. He married first Amy , who was buried at Little Yeldham 13 October 1594; and secondly Mrs. ElizaBeth Puhkas, widow, who by her former husband had children Rose Purkas, wife of Taine, and Francis Purkas. George Parmenter is found in the subsidy of 1596-7.
Children by first wife:
i. Conscience, baptized at Little Yeldham 25 May 1574; died young,
ii. Robert (perhaps). A Robert Parmenter, son of George, married at Little Yeldham, 22 January 1597/8, Alice Edwards, daughter of William. If this man belongs in this family, he must have died s.p. before the date of his father's will.

3. William Parmenter (George), of Little Yeldham, county. Essex, husband man, the testator of 1613, born probably about 1560, was buried at Little Yeldham 4 December 1617. He married, about 1585, Margery. He inherited various lands in Little Yeldham from his father and copyhold lands called Cowell or Gouldwell by the will of his brother George, which he mentioned in his own will, dated 12 October 1613 and proved 19 January 1617/18. As only two of his children were baptized at Little Yeldham, it is likely that at some period he resided elsewhere; and therefore he was probably the William Parmenter who was assessed in the subsidy of 1596-7 in the adjacent parish of Sible Hedingham, the registers of which prior to 1680 are lost.
Children:
i. Robert, baptized at Little Yeldham 23 October 1586. He succeeded to the lands of his father by the latter's will, and was perhaps the Robert Parmenter who was assessed at Sible Hedingham in th« subsidies of 1623-4 and 1627-1629 and at Little Yeldham in the subsidy of 1640-1. 4.
ii. John, born about 1588. In, Ursula, living in 1613.
iv. George, married at Little Yeldham, 12 March 1617/18, Mabt Ubhbb alias Clarke.
v. Sarah, born about 1593; married at Bures St. Mary, county Suffolk, 4 October 1616, John Cressall, the testator of 1625. After the death of her father she had evidently removed with her brother, John Pannenter, to Bures St. Mary.
vi. Margaret, baptized at Little Yeldham 25 February 1594/5; living in 1613.

4. Dba. John Parmenter (William, George), of Little Yeldham, county Essex, and Bures St. Mary, countys. Essex and Suffolk, England, and of Sudbury and Roxbury, Massachusetts, was born evidently about 1588, as the baptism of his elder brother Robert is recorded at Little Yeldham 23 October 1586, and yet by 12 October 1613 John Parmenter was old enough to be married and to be the father of two children, Mary and John, according to the will of that date of his father, William Parmenter. He may have been born at Sible Hedingham, county Essex, but the early registers of this parish are lost. He inherited no lands from his father, and after the latter's death he evidently removed about eight miles from Little Yeldham into Bures St. Mary. Here his sister Sarah was married, 4 October 1616, to John Cressall, who in his will of 9 July 1625 bequeathed a cow to his brother-in-law John Parmenter. Here also, as John Parminter,* he was a witness, 22 February 1630/1, to the will of Henrie Loker of Bures St. Mary, county Essex, glover (register, vol. 63, pp. 280-281). In 1639 John Parmenter, with his family, and also the
* Thus the name is spelled in the original will of Henrie Loker, although in the registered copy of the will the name U Parmiter widow and children of Henrie Loker emigrated to New England, settling in Sudbury, Massachusetts, where John Parmenter was early chosen selectman, deacon, and commissioner. A comparison of the signature of John Parminter as a witness in the original will of Henrie Loker of Bures St. Mary with an autograph signature of Deacon John Parmenter as a commissioner of Sudbury, Massachusetts, 6 January 1639/40,* shows that the two signatures were made by the same hand. In the summer of 1660 he removed from Sudbury to Roxbury, Massachusetts, where he died 1 May 1671, aged 83 years, according to the church records of Roxbury, which thus furnish additional evidence that he was born about 1588. His will, dated 25 March 1671 and proved 25 July 1671, names wife Annis, daughter Woods, son-in-law John Woods, grandson • John Parmenter, cousin [Bartholomew] Cheevers, shoemaker, of Boston, and cousin John Stibbins.

He married first, in England, probably about 1609, Bridget, who died at Sudbury, Massachusetts, 6 April 1660. He married secondly, at Roxbury, Massachusetts, 9 August 1660, Mrs. Annis ( ) (chandler) Dane, widow successively of William Chandler and John Dane. She died at Roxbury 17 March 1682/3.

Children by first wife, born in England:
i. Mary, born about 1610; named in the will of her grandfather 12 October 1613; died at Marlborough, Massachusetts, 17 August 1690, aged 80; married John Woods of Sudbury and Marlborough, born. in England about 1610, died at Marlborough 10 July 1678. He deposed in 1664, aged abt. 54 years.
Children: 1. Hannah.
2. John, born 8 May 1641.
3. Francis (daughter), born 10 May 1645.
4. James, born 18 July 1647.
5. Catharine.
6. Isaac, born 14 July 1655.

ii. John, born about 1612; named in the will of his grandfather 12 October 1613; came to New England with his father in 1639; resided at Sudbury, Massachusetts, where he died 12 April 1666; married about 1639 Amy, who died 21 November 1681.
Children: 1. John, born about 1640.
2. Joseph, born 12 March 1642/3.
3. Mary, born 10 June 1644.
4. George, born about 1647.
5. Benjamin, born about 1650.
6. Lydia, born 16 October 1655.

Family C
1. Robert Parmenter, of Little Yeldham, county Essex, the testator of 1594, born probably about 1530, was buried at Little Yeldham 1 May 1594. He married, about 1561, Amte. He was assessed at Little Yeldham in the subsidies of 1565-6 and 1571-2.
Children:
Joane, born probably about 1562.
Amy, baptized at Little Yeldham 17 September 1564.

2. iii. Robert, baptized at Little Yeldham 8 February 1567/8.

iv. Jane, baptized at Little Yeldham 5 June 1571.

2. Robert Parmenter (Robert), of Little Yeldham, county Essex, baptized there 8 February 1567/8, appears there in the subsidy of 1596-7. Neither his will nor any administration on his estate has been found.
Children, baptized at Little Yeldham:
i. Samuel, baptized 13 October 1590; married Elizabeth.
Children, baptized at Little Yeldham:
1. Samuel, baptized 19 September 1630.
2. Thomas, baptized 19 August 1632.
3. Robert, baptized 22 March 1634/5.
4. Elizabeth, baptized 10 April 1636.
5. Sarah, baptized 21 January 1639/40.

ii. Robert, baptized 24 December 1592; married (1) Elizabeth ; married (2) at Little Yeldham, 24 June 1626, Agnes (Anne) Inoam.
Children by first wife, recorded at Little Yeldham:
1. Elizabeth, baptized 25 • Suffolk Co. Court Files, Boston, no. 162004. March 1619.
2. John, baptized 25 April 1625.
Children by second wife, recorded at Little Yeldham:
3. Anne, baptized 14 January 1626/7.
4. Robert, baptized 7 September 1628; buried 26 June 1630.
5. John, baptized 18 April 1630.
6. Mary, baptized 30 October 1631.
7. William, baptized 14 March 1635/6.

iii. John, baptized 16 November 1595.

iv. Alice, baptized 25 March 1599.

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