| Notes |
- There is no birth record for Susannah. There is no death record for Susannah. We only know that George and his wife had a daughter Susannah because she is mentioned very briefly in his will. No married name is provided for Susannah, and she received only a few pence in the will. Her birth is estimated in "The Great Migration Begins," Vol 3, P-W as about 1640.
The identification of Francis West's wife as Susannah maiden name Soule comes from an article published in 1924 in The Mayflower Descendant (volume 26 No. 1 page 1). I couldn't find this volume online, so I have scanned the most relevant pages in under the Memories tab. The article was written by George Ernest Bowman about a "Memmorandum Book" written by Elder Samuel West. Much of the book appears to be written around 1800 and in said book Elder Samuel West wrote: "my great grandfather Francis West Came from Europe to Amarica [sic] Soon after the first Settlement at Plymouth and Soon after his arival [sic] he married A young Lady By the name of Sole daughter of Mr George Sole (he came with his family to Plymouth in the first Vessel that Came their [sic] from Europe) by whoom [sic] he had Seven Sons & 2 daughters his Sons names ware [sic] Francis Thomas Peter William Richard Clemment & John his daughters names ware [sic] Martha & Susanna martha married a Fones by whoom [sic] She had Children Susanna married a Barber by whoom she had a number of Sons & daughters"
Since there is no way to really double-check this information with any primary sources, it has generally been accepted by genealogists.
Recently, in the book "The Great Migration Begins," Vol 3, P-W, page 1707, Susanna Soule is identified as having a husband named Francis West, although no more information is supplied.
An article was published in the Mayflower Families, Volume 3 which identifies the children of Susanna Soule and Francis Wast/West and lists seven sons and two daughters for this couple, based on the above sources and an additional tax document from Kingstowne. Those children identified are:
1. Francis, b. ca. 1660
2. Richard, b. ca. 1661-4
*3. Susanna, b. ca. 1666
4. Peter, b. ca. 1668/9; n.f.r. (nothing further recorded)
5. John, b. ca. 1672; n.f.r.
6. Martha, b. ca. 1675
7. William, b. 31 May 1681
8. Thomas, b. 18 Sept. 1684, twin.
9. Clement, b. 18 Sept. 1684, twin.
This article says that "The children of this family have been difficult to trace. Francis, Susannah, and Martha remained in the Kingstown RI area; William removed to Newport RI, probably after the death of his first wife; Clement moved to Charlestown RI, and then disappears from RI records, perhaps moving to Dutchess County NY; Richard returned to Plymouth and Bristol County, living in Middleboro and Taunton. We have not found Peter, John, nor Thomas." Since I couldn't find this volume online, I have scanned the relevant pages in under the Memories Tab.
Francis and Susannah had several children while living in "Kings Towne," some of whom have actual birth records. On ancestry.com you can find the collection, "Rhode Island, Vital Extracts, 1636-1899 Vol. 05: Washington County: Births, Marriages, Deaths," which is an indexed copy of some original records. In this collection, there is a birth record for William of Francis & Susannah West, May 31, 1681, and one for Thomas of Francis & Susannah West, September 18, 1684. Next to this there is a strange appendage: "I have Clement, instead of Thomas, at same date, R.G.H." Some have suggested that perhaps Clement and Thomas were twins. I don't know. I suspect that there is only one child born on that date, but that the handwriting was difficult to read.
In addition to Clement, Thomas, and William who have birth records (kind of), Francis and Susannah are believed to have several other children. Francis West who married 12 May 1699 in East Greenwich, Kent, Rhode Island is linked through DNA, name, and a tax assessment to this father Francis West. Richard is similarly linked through DNA, name, and the above-referenced tax assessment. There has been nothing found about Peter and John, if they existed.
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1644 - 1684 (40 years)
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