Eleventh Generation

1196. John WHITMARSH Sr. (*) was born in 1596 in Weymouth, Dorsetshire, England. He emigrated on 20 March 1635 from Weymouth, Dorsetshire, England.

John Whitmarsh, the immigrant ancestor of the Whitmarsh family in America, was one of Rev. Joseph Hull's company that sailed from Weymouth, England, March 20, 1635. The family is given in the passenger list as follows:

"Jno. Whitmarsk aged 39 yeare,
Alce Whitmarke his Wife aged 35 yeare,
Jms Whitmarcke his sonne aged 11 yeare,
Jane his daughter aged 7 yeare,
Onseph Whitmarke his sonne aged 5 yeare,
Rich: Whytemark his sonne aged 2 yeare."

It will be observed that the name is spelled in four different ways, but always with "k" instead of "h." The different spelling is due probably to the ignorance or carelessness of the clerk, but the presence of the "k" suggests a possible origin for the name. If Whytemark is the original form, the name perhaps was descriptive of some early ancestor.

Another suggested derivation of the name is from Whitnash.

The simplest derivation, if the name were Whitmarsh at the beginning, is that some ancestor dwelt near a marsh, known as the white marsh, and came to be known as "John of the white marsh" or John Whitmarsh. These derivations are, however, only conjecture.

The English home of John Whitmarsh, the immigrant, is not yet positively determined, but there is reason to think that he may have come from Batcombe, Somerset County, England, as the "Genealogy of Richard Porter of Weymouth" mentions among those who came to Weymouth, John Whitmarsh and William Reed of Batcombe. There are Whitmarsh families in the south of England at present.

On July 8, 1635, the General Court of Massachusetts passed an order permitting Rev. Joseph Hull's company of twenty-one families to settle at Wessaguscus, which was incorporated under the name of Weymouth, Sept. 2, 1635.

Town records show that John Whitmarsh owned several pieces of land in Weymouth, before 1644, including "two acres upon the plain," "three acres upon King Oak Hill," "two acres in west field," "two and one-half acres of fresh marsh," "five acres on King Oak Hill," besides other lands.

There is also a description of lands of Nicholas, Richard, Onesiphorus and Simon Whitmarsh, mentioning "nine acres in the westerneck first given to their father, John Whitmarsh, deceased." This proves that John Whitmarsh, immigrant, died before 1644. It also proves the existence of two sons, Nicholas and Simon, not mentioned in the passenger list.

In the description of John Harding's land, mention is made of "Halfe an acre of fresh marsh which he gave to John Whitmarsh sonn of the aforesaid John Whitmarsh." This establishes the fact that John Whitmarsh, immigrant, had a son John.

There is no record of the death of John Whitmarsh or of his wife, Alice, except the fact that he died before 1644.

We have no data to show the age of the three sons Simon, John and Nicholas, except the fact that Simon was a land owner before 1644. Possibly these three were elder sons who came over after the family was established here. If so, the order of ages may have been as follows:

2. i. Simon or Simeon.
3. ii. John.
4. iii. Nicholas.
iv. James born about 1624.
v. Jane, born about 1628.
vi. Onesiphorus, born about 1630.
vii. Richard, born about 1633. He died before 1644 at the age of 48 in Weymouth, Norfolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. Alice GARMENT (*) and John WHITMARSH Sr. (*) were married on 9 June 1623 in Shepton Mallet, Mendip, Somerset County, England.

1197. Alice GARMENT (*) was born on 26 April 1607 in Batcombe, Mendip District, Somerset County, England. She died on 6 March 1655 at the age of 47 in Weymouth, Norfolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America.

Children were: