- (Arrived about 1624 on the Jacob, with her Mother. Her father came in 1623 on the Anne.) SARAH TRACY, eldest child of Stephen Tracy and Tryphosa Lee was born in or just before January 1622/3 likely in England while her parents were preparing to sail to Plymouth, Massachuseetts on the Ann.
Sarah died testate before 6 Octoer 1708, the date her will was probated. Some claim she is interred at “Mayflower Cemetery” at Duxbury, Massachusetts, which did not exist until long after her death. Alternately she is claimed to be interred at the “Myles Standish Burying Ground,” formerly known as the South or Chesnut Street Cemetery at Duxbury. Regardless of where she was interred, Sarah either had not original gravestone or her gravestone has long since decayed away from modern knowledge.
Sarah Tracy, eldest child of Stephen Tracy & Tryphosa Lee, b. in or just before Jan 1622/3 likely in England while her parents were preparing to sail to Plymouth, Mass. on the Ann. Sarah died testate before Oct. 6, 1708, the date her will was probated (see below.) Some claim she is interred at "Mayflower Cemetery" at Duxbury, Mass., which did not exist until long after her death. Alternately she is claimed to be interred at the "Myles Standish Burying Ground," formerly known as the South or Chestnut Street Cemetery at Duxbury. Regardless of where she was interred, Sarah either had no original gravestone or her gravestone has long since decayed away from modern knowledge.
Historical accuracy is the foundation of family genealogy, and when historical documents contradict what is claimed in print, appropriate explanation is required why a change is necessary. The maintainer of this memorial, Sarah's descendant, has received repeated suggestions to change Sarah's birth location to Leiden, Holland. I recognize that Dexter in The England and Holland of the Pilgrims, 1905, p. 636, was among those claiming that the first three members of the Tracy family - Stephen, wife Tryphosa, and dau. Sarah - sailed together in 1623 on the Ann or companion Little James, and by inference dau. Sarah was born at Leiden. More recent documents make such claim unsupportable.
In Robert S. Wakefield's 1975 article The Adventurous Tryphosa (Lee) Tracy [TAG 51:71] and supplement regarding Tryphosa's May 1624 license to sail from England back to Leiden with 15-month old Sarah [ibid. 51:242], Wakefield adopted Dexter's 1905 conclusion that in the October 1622 Leiden poll tax Stephen and Tryphosa were, per Dexter's translation, the childless couple "Stephen Truer and Truy Voorsta, his wife" residing at the household of Thomas Brewer.[*1] Wakefield surmised that Tryphosa essentially made four sailings: 1) from Leiden to England after the birth of dau. Sarah, 2) back to Leiden in 1624 after Stephen sailed in 1623 on the Ann, 3) again from Leiden to England, 4) then from England to Plymouth in late 1624 or early 1625 with Edward Winslow aboard a ship purportedly named the Jacob.[*2]
Another Wakefield surmise required in the year 1624 that the Tracy family was individually residing on three different continents: Stephen at Plymouth, wife Tryphosa at England, and dau. Sarah with relatives at Leiden. This latter surmise, which requires mother and infant dau. to be separated, holds no water.
The simplest explanation is often the most plausible. It is more likely that Stephen and wife Tryphosa sailed to England BEFORE the birth of dau. Sarah in anticipation of being passengers of the Spring 1623 sailing of the Ann (which likely sailed in May and is known to have arrived at Plymouth in late July.) Otherwise, if the family sailed AFTER Sarah's birth, purportedly at Leiden, it would have required sailing from Leiden to England with a suckling new born child. It should be remembered that less than three years earlier many of the original 1620 Mayflower passengers (men, women and children) died by the Spring of 1621 from disease and other causes. Undoubtedly this was not lost in the minds of later Plymouth Colony arrivees. While there is no documentary proof, one could reasonably propose that following Sarah's birth Tryphosa, dau. Sarah, or both of them, were not capable of withstanding a voyage of two months across the Atlantic and why they did not accompany Stephen to Plymouth in the Spring of 1623.
Thus, it is more plausible that Sarah was born in England and that Tryphosa and dau. Sarah remained in England while Stephen sailed in 1623 to establish the family's rights at Plymouth. Following Stephen's arrival, in the undated 1623 first division of Plymouth's land (after arrival of the Ann) Stephen was assigned three acres. This has been the printed basis that Stephen, Tryphosa and dau. Sarah all sailed on the Ann in 1623, which obviously was not the case. In 1975 Wakefield further surmised that Stephen was assigned an acre for himself and two more, for two mysterious unidentified persons then with him at Plymouth. At the division Stephen Tracy's known family consisted of three persons, regardless if Stephen was the only member of the family then present at Plymouth. While there is no other like example in the 1623 division (a male assigned a number of acres for living family not yet at Plymouth), that does not mean it was not so for the Tracy family. In short, Wakefield's surmised "Adventures" of Stephen Tracy's wife Tryphosa probably never happened.
In Nov. 1638, Sarah Tracy m. George Partridge of Duxbury, Mass., a tailor by trade. Their marriage is of record in the Plymouth Colony Court Orders, but the day is missing (some claim it was the 16th). George Partridge's parentage and date of birth remain unknown. He wrote his will on June 26, 1682 at Duxbury, Mass. and d. prior to Oct. 10, 1695, the date his estate inventory was taken.
Of specific note, there is no proof, coincidental or otherwise, that George Partridge was the son or otherwise related to Rev. Ralph Partridge, the first pastor of the Duxbury Church. This despite George Partridge and Rev. Ralph Partridge being mutual residents of Duxbury for at least 22 years (1636 to 1658).
The widow Sarah (Tracy) Partridge's will dated Nov. 28, 1702 was probated Oct. 6, 1708 (Plymouth, Mass. Prob. Recs, 2:131-2), an abstract of which follows:
• I bequeath to my eight daughters, Sarah Allien [Allen], Triphosa West, Elizabeth Allien [Allen], Ruth Thatcher, Mary Scif [Skiff], Rebeckah Fisher, Lidia Bruister [Brewster], Mercy Coburn [q.v., Colburn], all my linen great & small and woolen wearing clothes to be equally divided between them all, three of my daughters before named being deceased [i.e., Triphosa, Mary & Rebecca] my meaning is that their children should have their mother's part & that equally divided amongst them.
• All my money which I die possessed of or which is owing to me should be equally divided amongst my ten children, it understood that the children of those that are deceased should have their mothers' part.
• Son John to have my great bible as a gift of his father after my decease.
• Ye sheep at ye vineyard [i.e., Martha's Vineyard] are my son [in-law] James Allein's by bargain.
• My son James Partridge to be executor.
• My son [in-law] Bruister & my son John Partridge to be Overseers.
Sarah Tracy and George Partridge had the following ten known children, likely b. at Duxbury, Mass. But there are no specific dates of record, as most were born prior to 1653 when the Plymouth Court required vital records to be kept by each town in the Plymouth Colony. To prevent immediate arguments the order shown and the children's individual "about" dates of birth follow that of Anderson in the Great Migration Begins (the GMB) sketch of George Partridge (Vol. 7:372-381). The GMB order does not follow the order in which the daus. are listed in their mother's will (assuming Sarah listed them in descending age order). As one will become aware, the GMB birth dates are illogical, suggesting four of the daus. were betw. two-six years older than their husbands contrary to the nature of things in that era. Other assumed dates contradict the longstanding GMB use of 22 as the average age a female married. The writer's research of his New England ancestors indicates girls-women were closer to 18-19 years old at marriage, were normally several to many years younger than their husband, and the first child was rarely b. more than 10-11 months after the wedding night:
• i. Sarah Partridge, b. circa 1639 [GMB], d. Oct. 30, 1717 prob. at Bridgewater, Mass.; m. by early 1660 (eldest child b. Dec. 4, 1660) Dea. Samuel Allen, Jr., s. of Samuel Allen & Ann Whitmore, b. Nov. 10, 1632 at Braintree, Mass. He d. circa 1703, prob. at Bridgewater, Mass. Ten children of record at Bridgewater.
• ii. Tryphosa (q.v. Triphosa) Partridge, b. circa 1641 [GMB] (eldest child b. Dec. 13, 1669), d. Nov. 5, 1701 at Duxbury; m. Dec. 16, 1668 at Duxbury, Samuel West, s. of Francis West & Margery Reeve(s), b. of record at Duxbury Nov. 28, 1643 [indicating per the GMB he was 2 years younger than his wife]. He d. at Duxbury May 8, 1689. Seven children of the family.
• iii. Elizabeth Partridge, b. circa 1644 [the GMB uses 1643, but her g.s. says 1643-4], d. Aug. 8, 1722 at Tisbury, Mass., Æ 79 (g.s.); m. by 1662 (eldest child b. Aug. 14, 1663) James Allen, brother of her sister Sarah's husband, b. circa 1637 at Braintree, Mass. He d. at Tisbury, Mass. July 25, 1714, Æ 78 (g.s.). Twelve children of the family.
• iv. Ruth Partridge, b. circa 1645 [GMB](eldest child b. Oct 9, 1670), d. Oct. 30, 1717 at Lebanon, Conn.; m. Jan. 5, 1669/70 at Duxbury, Rev. Rodolphus Thacher, s. of Rev. Thomas Thacher & Elizabeth Partridge (dau. of Rev. Ralph Partridge of Duxbury), b. Jan. 1, 1646/7 at Weymouth, Mass. [indicating per the GMB he was two years younger than his wife]. He d. at Preston, Conn. July 6, 1733, Æ 87. Nine children of the family.
• v. Mary Partridge, b. circa 1647 [GMB], d. before Nov. 28, 1702 (date of her mother's wil
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1621 - 1708 (87 år)
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