Descendants of Francis and Susannah (Soule) West

North Kingstown, R. I. Births from James N. Arnold's Vital Record of Rhode Island

2007-12-11T14:49:00.000-08:00

Source:
James N. Arnold, The Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1630-1850, 1st Series: Births, Marriages, and Deaths--A Family Record for the People, Volume V (Providence, R. I.: Narragansett Historical Publishing Co., 1894), p. 110.

North Kingstown - Births

William West, of Francis and Susannah, May 31, 1681.

Thomas West, of Francis and Susannah, Sept. 18, 1684.

Mary West, of Francis, June 29, 1711.

William West is my direct ancestor. Thomas West was his brother. I am unsure if Mary West is related to our family (she might be the daughter of Francis West, Jr). I have also seen records that indicate that Thomas West was not born on the date above but rather that his brother Clement West was. Once again I will have to verify this with Louise Throop.

North Kingstown, R. I. Marriages from James N. Arnold's Vital Record of Rhode Island

2007-12-09T19:04:00.000-08:00

Source:
James N. Arnold, The Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1630-1850, 1st Series: Births, Marriages, and Deaths--A Family Record for the People, Volume V (Providence, R. I.: Narragansett Historical Publishing Co., 1894), p. 51.

North Kingstown - Marriages

Susannah West and Moses Barber, March 20 or 24, 1691-92.

John West and Alice Sweet, March ----, 1730-31 by William Spencer, Justice.

Susannah West and John Tanner, May 9, 1723.

Martha West and ---- Card, March 4 ----.

---- West, and Sarah Baker, November 7, 1731 by William Spencer, Justice.

Record from Clarence Almon Torrey's New England Marriages Prior to 1700

2007-12-07T14:55:00.000-08:00

Source:
Clarence Almon Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1985). PAGE UNKNOWN - found in Rutland Free Library, Rutland City, Vermont.

West, Francis & Susanna [SOULE]; ca 1655?, b 1661; ca 1650?; Kingston, RI

This book also includes marriages for Matthew West and his unnamed wife as well as the marriages of Matthew's sons Bartholomew, Nathaniel, and Robert. Considering that there is no current DNA evidence linking the West-Soule Family to the family of Matthew West I have not included them in this post.

I also apologize for not having written down the page number for this record. Next time I am in Rutland City I will be sure to take a quick glance at the volume for the necessary information.

Record from New England Historical & Genealogical Register, Vol. 87

2007-12-05T18:18:00.000-08:00

Source:
New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume LXXXVII [87] (Boston: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1933), p. 208.

West.-Francis, born probably at Lynn, Mass., about 1645, died at Kingstown, R.I., 2 Jan. 1692.

I have to check with Louise Throop to see how accurate this record is since it is rather old and last I checked it was assumed that Francis was older than his wife Susanna(h), who is believed to have been born around 1642. In addition I have heard that the Francis West from Duxbury, Massachusetts who married Margery Reeves died on the date given above so it would appear there are some further questions to be explored.

Record from New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 24

2007-12-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

Source:
New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume CXXIV (24) (Boston: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1970), p. 123.

Susanna [fifth child of George Soule and Mary Bucket (undoubtedly a variant of Beckett)], b. say ca. 1634 although there is questionable evidence which would place the birth in 1642. Neither the date nor place of her death or that of her marriage to Francis West, Sr. has been established. Issue, surname West:
Francis, Jr., Thomas, Peter, William, Richard, Clement, John, Martha, and Susanna.

Record from Robert Charles Anderson's The Great Migration Begins

2006-12-01T09:38:00.000-08:00

Source:
Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, Volume III, P-W. (Boston: New England Genealogical Society, 1995), p. 1707.

Susanna [daughter of George Soule and Mary Buckett], b. say 1640; m. by 1660 Francis West (estimated birth of first child [MF 3:10].

MF 3:10 denotes Mayflower Descendants Volume Three, Page 10.

Mayflower Descendant Article on Francis and Susanna West

2006-11-29T22:03:00.000-08:00

Source:
George Ernest Bowman, "Susanna Soule's Husband Identified She Married Francis West" The Mayflower Descendant, Vol. XXVI, January 1924, No. 1.

Through the courtesy of Mrs. Elvira Jerusha (West) Coney of Ware, Mass., we reproduce in the accompanying illustration two pages of an old "Memmorandum Book" written by her grandfather, Elder Samuel West.

This old manuscript is of exceptional interest and importance, because the entries in it, particularly those on original pages forty-five and forty-six, united with data long in possession of the present writer, prove that Susanna Soule, daughter of George Soule, the Mayflower Passenger, married Francis West of North Kingstown, R. I.

It is probable that Francis West lived in Duxbury, Mass., before settling at North Kingstown.

As Francis and Susanna (Soule) West had a large family, and many grandchildren, this old manuscript will enable many persons to prove Mayflower descent who have not before suspected such a connection.

In the present article we begin printing a literal transcript of "Samuel Wests Memmorandum Book", omitting only items of no historical value, such as descriptions of his mental struggles before he decided to join the church.

The data from Plymouth Colony, Plymouth County, Mass., and the North Kingstown, R. I. records which connect the "Memmorandum Book" with George Soule, the Mayflower Passenger, will be printed in an early issue.

I have yet to track down which issue that data was printed in. Hopefully the full account will be put into Louise Throop's history of the West Family.

Record from Minerva, NY Historical Society Pertaining to Descendants of William West

2006-11-27T18:57:00.000-08:00

NOTE: I have to check with Louise Throop to verify some of this information (just as with the latter post) since much of the information apparently was gathered many years ago.

William West, son of Francis and Susanna Soule West, married JANE TANNER, daughter of John Tanner and Jane Shelley.

Their children were:

William

John

Joseph (who was killed by a falling tree in a house raising in Chenango County, N. Y. in 1808)

Benjamin

Thomas b. 1732 d. 1797 m. Anna Cosgrove, daughter of Francis Cosgrove and _______ Balley. Their son, Samuel, kept a diary from which much of this material was taken.

Francis m. Mary Lawton, Feb. 17, 1757

Hezekiah

EBENEZER b. 1732 or 1734 d. 1822 in Minerva, N. Y. m. WAITE CARR in 1760.

Deborah

Abiah

Jane

Susanna m. Benjamin Clarke in 1770 or Nathan Tanner --- both marriages are in Hopkington, R. I. records.

Record from Minerva, NY Historical Society Pertaining to Samuel West's Memorandum Book

2006-11-25T16:35:00.000-08:00

This document concerns the Memorandum Book of one Samuel West, a descendant of Francis and Susannah West, from the Minerva Historical Society records, Minerva, Essex County, New York. I would assume that the Mayflower Society or one of the large New England organizations has the original and possibly even the copy of the Boston Transcript it was published in.

NOTE: Notice the difference in the spelling of Susanna's name. I am still trying to figure out which was the correct spelling so often my records will show both.

FRANCIS WEST emigrated from England probably about 1634. It is thought that he lived at Duxbury, Mass., and later moved to North Kingstown, R. I. He married SUSANNA SOULE, daughter of of George Soule, who came on the Mayflower in 1620. Susanna was born in Mass. (Absolute proof of this marriage is lacking).

The following is a copy of a document in the possession of Mrs. Clarence Jones, Minerva, N. Y.

"Susanna Soule, a daughter of George and Mary (Becketts) Soule, was mentioned in her father's will. Her name disappeared from the records of Duxbury and nothing was known of her fate for many years. Some who were interested in the history of the Soules and who had searched for some recorded item that would prove a clue to her after-life and failed to find such reference came to believe that there was no such daughter and discontinued their inquiries; but at last, some time during the year 1924, a Diary or memorandum was found in an ancient house not distant from Boston that contained her name and proved that she was married to one Francis West, who had come from England soon after the first settlement, by whom she had seven sons and two daughters whose names were written down under her own. This discovery raised considerable excitement among genealogists throughout New England at the time it became known, and a full account of the finding with a facsimile of the page of the Diary of which the record was written was clearly legible, was published in the Boston Evening Transcript. Continued research may reveal much more concerning her children and descendants. In his will her father had given her "twelve pence", a meager legacy that a of some disaffection."

The children of Francis and Susanna were:

Francis (Francis was Justice of the Peace in Hopkington, R. I. - 1774-1788.

Thomas b. Sept. 18, 1684. Vital Records of Rhode Island.

Peter

WILLIAM b. May 31, 1681

Richard

Clement

John (Probably John who married Alicw Sweet in 1731).

Martha (Married Fones).

Susanna (Married Moses Barber, Mar. 20, 1691).

The reason William West's name is in capital letters is because his son, Ebenezer, founded the Minerva, New York branch of the West-Soule Family, the branch I am descended from.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T22:25:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers.

When one of your great-grandfathers was George Soule, a Mayflower Passenger, one almost seems obliged to wish others a Happy Thanksgiving!

In any event enjoy your meals and say a prayer for our brave men and women overseas.

Paternal Ancestral Line of Nathan West

2006-11-23T10:53:00.000-08:00

1. Mathew/Matthew West (no DNA evidence as of yet)
m. Unknown

2. Francis West, Sr. (abt. 1631-aft. 1687)
m. Susanna(h) Soule, dau. of George Soule and Mary Buckett

3. William West, Sr. (1681-aft. 1740)
m. (2nd wife) Jane Tanner

4. 1st Lt. Ebenezer West, Sr. (abt. 1732-1822)
m. Waite Carr, dau. of William Carr and Elizabeth Corey

5. John West, Sr. (abt. 1767-abt. 1855)
m. Elizabeth "Betsey" Miller

6.) William Carr West (1790-1874)
m. (1st wife) Elizabeth "Betsey" Leonard, dau. of Thomas Leonard

7.) Samuel West (1821-1904)
m. Frances Evaline Gibbs, dau. of Andrew Gibbs and Laura Hooper

8.) Berton Elmer West (1868-1951)
m. Melissa Ann Alden, dau. of Byron Jackson Alden and Laura Jones

9.) Erwin Elmer West, Sr. (1902-1973)
m. Geisla Sophia Horvath, dau. of Francis Horvath, Sr. and Anna Melen

Erwin and Geisla (Horvath) West, Sr. were my great-grandparents.

Welcome to This Site

2006-11-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

Welcome to this new site for the descendants of Francis and Susannah (Soule) West of Plymouth and Rhode Island colonies.

First, a little background on myself. My name is Nathan West and I reside in Lake George in Upstate New York. My family (the Wests) have been in the Washington, Essex, and Warren Counties of New York since the late 1790's, including founding the Essex County town of Minerva. My own line left Minerva in the 1850's for western Rutland County in Vermont. About 10 years ago my uncle and I made the connection to the Minerva Wests and in turn found further genealogical roots into early Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. At this time we were able to document our family going back twelve generations to Francis West and his wife Susannah Soule, the daughter of Mayflower Pilgrim George Soule.

In July 2006 I was contacted by Mrs. Louise W. Throop of California (a prominent historian who has written extensively for the General Society of Mayflower Descendants) who encouraged me to share my family records and take a DNA test from FamilyTreeDNA.com to prove my direct ancestry from Francis and Susannah. In August 2006 the results came back positive and I subsequently enrolled in the West Family DNA Project.