Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of John Doggett

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Descendants of John Doggett

Generation No. 1

1. John⁵ Doggett (William⁴, John³, Richard², Richard¹) was born Abt. 1600 in England, and died Aft. May 13, 1673 in Plmouth, MA. He married (1) Bathsheba Fay. She died Unknown. He married (2) Hepzebah Brotherton Abt. 1625 in England. She was born 1604 in Suffolk, England, and died Bef. 1667.

Notes for John Doggett:
[Bea Daggett family.FTW]

Date:
Mon, 20 Dec 1999 10:47:38 -0000
From:
"John McLinden" <John@jmclinden.freeserve.co.uk>
To:
DAGGETT-L@rootsweb.com

William Doggett – One or two?

Since first coming across the Doggett Lappage pedigree shown in Suffolk
Manorial Families, I have become increasingly concerned over the
apparent existence of two sons of John Doggett named William.

After revisiting the original documentation and examination of the
evidence shown by others I have found (or not, as you like!) the
following:

a.. Within the relevant period, there appears to be only one
baptism/christening recorded for a William Doggett, son of John Doggett.
viz. 4th May 1545 at Bures St Mary.

a.. There appears to be only one burial recorded for a William
Doggett viz. 10th October 1610 in Boxford, within the relevant period
and, although the Lavenham registers start in 1558, there is no known
burial for a second William Doggett; there or anywhere else.

a.. There is no known will or probate documentation for a second
William Doggett.

a.. John Doggett makes frequent mention of his children in his will
(Suffolk Record Office W1/27/97 and R2/32/154 of 1564/5). The wording in
each case is as follows (taken from my own transcription of the probate
copy – my notes in italics):

William Doggett the younger my son (note: it does not say "my youngest
son")

William my son

John my son

John my son

John my son

William my son

Said two sons William and John (note: the only two sons mentioned up to
now)

William Doggett my eldest son (note: the only William known to have been
baptized by John (1545) appears to be his eldest son)

William my eldest son

Anne my daughter

Anne my daughter

My sons John and William the younger (note: still no mention of a third
son. Why not, if three existed, in particular as William of Lavenham
talks about the property left to him by John?)

The said William my youngest son (note: "said" means he is definitely
referring to one of the sons already mentioned in his will and therefore
"my youngest son" should have been written as something like "the
younger my son" because only two sons have been mentioned. So, as in so
many wills of the period – a mistake, not proof of another son.)

(My daughter Ardelye) *

My said three children John Doggett William Doggett the younger and Anne
Doggett my daughter (note: here he confirms yet again that he has two
sons)

(* daughter Ardelye is the subject of further research I am doing at
present.)

a.. There is no evidence (viz. a baptism register entry), supporting
son William’s age at death as stated in the inscription on his monument.
Who confirmed his age and how? His parents were dead (John 1564/5 and
his wife before him) and the only register showing the baptism of a son
William to John Doggett indicates a birth date not after May 1545.
Additionally, there is no indication as to when the tombstone was
actually installed and this may, in fact, have been some considerable
time after his demise.

It is not until very recently that the majority of people have really
known how old they are. As an example, I will quote the case of my own
great grandfather, Thomas Turner of Wellington in Shropshire England. He
was literate, but in each census return I have found (1841, 1851, 1871,
1881, 1891), his stated age was always inconsistent with his birth date
and is never the same in terms of the generated error. Even on his death
certificate, his own family noted his age incorrectly with respect to
his recorded birth date! That was in the 19th/20th century, so why
should things have been any different in the 16th/17th century in this
respect?

a.. The William Doggett of Lavenham who sold lands in 1567 which his
father John had given him is quite probably the William mentioned in
that will. If he was born in 1545, he was old enough to sell them and
why not, if he needed to? Where was William Doggett "the younger" – if
he is truly a different person – at that time? There is no record to be
found of a second William.

a.. There is no reason why any or all of the properties mentioned by
William of Lavenham should tie up with the lands stated in John’s will
as being left to William or anyone else. Hereditary and long held lands
would pass by right to the eldest son and no mention would necessarily
be made in a father’s will concerning them. Generally speaking, early
wills only mention those pieces of land recently purchased, as no
settlement or previous arrangement had been made about them at the time
of the owner’s demise1.

a.. John Doggett’s frequent mention of William as "the younger"
(whom he also mentions as being his eldest son) only means that there is
another William Doggett in the area at the time. He was probably closely
related to John and William "the younger" and the sobriquet would have
been used to ensure that the correct one was identified. This, per se,
does not define or specify that the two Williams were siblings. We know
from the record that there were several other related Doggetts in the
area at the time – they are actually quoted in the English antecedents
document on the Doggett web site.

a.. In his paper " Same-name Children – Alive or Dead"2 Dr. Peter
Razzell, an expert on the genealogy of the late and post medieval
period, challenged the suggestion that there were ever any proven cases
of two live children in the same family having identical Christian
names. He asked for any evidence which he had not yet seen which might
refute his arguments to be sent to him. I forwarded the case of the two
Williams for examination and his conclusion3 was that there was no
direct evidence whatsoever to substantiate the claim of there being two
Williams, both the sons of John Doggett. There could still, of course,
be two William Doggetts.

Conclusion

John Doggett had two sons, William and John, and use of the sobriquet
"the younger" was only made to differentiate between his son William and
another, non-sibling, relative who was older than that William and alive
in 1564/5.

John McLinden (15 generations down the Lappage line!)

Derby UK

References:

1.. Landowners and Occupiers in England and Wales – Part 1 Anthony
Camp F. Gen. Soc. Family Tree Magazine Jan 2000 Vol 16 3. Pp19/21

2.. Same-name Children – Alive or Dead. Dr Peter Razzell. J. Soc.
Gen. June 1998 pp 59,60

3.. My reply to the paper in (2) above and Dr Razzell’s response. J.
Soc. Gen. September 1998 p. 95
As a matter of further interest, at the time of writing the best
structure I can suggest from my research for John Doggett’s family is as
follows:

John Doggett b. unknown; d. 1564/65

+ Martha Ashfield b. unknown; d. 1549; m. bef. 1545

William Doggett b. 1545; d.1610

+ Avis Lappage b. 1568; d.1652; m. 1591

Dau Doggett b. bef. 1549; d. aft. 1564/65

+ Mr Ardelye b. unknown; d. aft. 1564/65; m. bef. 1564/65

2nd wife of John Doggett above

+ Margaret ? b. unknown; d. 1562; m. aft. 1549

John Doggett b. 1550/51; d.1619

+ Dorothy ? b. unknown; d.1605/06; m. unknown

+ Others?

Dau Doggett b. 1551/52; d. bef. 1564/65 (name in the register cannot
be read)

Ann Doggett b. 1553/54 d. unknown

+ Mr Kent b. unknown; d. unknown; m. unknown

I think there is a very distinct possibility that John Doggett jnr.
(1550/51 – 1619) may have married more than once, but this is still very
much under investigation.

Children of John Doggett and Hepzebah Brotherton are:

+	2	i.	John⁶ Doggett, born 1626 in England; died September 09, 1701 in Rehoboth, Bristol Co,MA.
	3	ii.	Thomas Doggett, born Abt. 1630 in Watertown, MA; died Aft. April 13, 1691 in Edgartown, Dukes, MA. He married Hannah Mayhew 1657; born June 15, 1635 in Medford, Middlesex, MA; died 1722 in Edgartown, Dukes, MA.
	4	iii.	Elizabeth Doggett, born June 15, 1635 in Watertown, MA; died Aft. November 1711. She married Jeremiah Whitten; born 1627 in England; died 1711 in Tisbury, MA.
	5	iv.	Hepziah Doggett, born Bet. 1642 - 1643 in Watertown, MA; died Bet. 1712 - 1714. She married John Eddy 1658; died Unknown.
	6	v.	Joseph Doggett, born 1647 in Watertown, MA; died Bef. August 1717. He married Alice Sesseton; died Unknown.

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