Researching the Palmer Genealogy

[Orinda]

Hello:
I really don't have much to go on. Most of my information is from another link. Trying to connect a family
to my lineage from Wiltshire, England. The trail runs dry. I have a William Palmer 1605-1670 from
England (trying in Wiltshire) to wife Martha (American). His death was at age 65 in Weschester, New York,
Mangophone Neck ?
His children are as follows: Jospeh 1627
Samuel 1629
Thomas 1931
Benjamin1633
Obadiah 1635

I found a William Palmer online D.O.B. 1605 June 9 from Steeple-Ashton Wiltshire. I cannot connect who
the father was and if he was from Steeple-Ashton. I am now trying to find a match for this family from
England with the father being William d.o.b. 1605. Do you think I am possibly close? Any advice is
appreciated.

Orinda

[warncoort]

" Most of my information is from another link" And what is that link?
What information is there that the family is from Wiltshire?Palmer is not an unusual name so you will need to have supporting information from marriage or death record.

[Orinda]

Hello:

Yes, I realize, I really have no leads. I am just trying to match the William Palmer that I have
with the above dates to a William Palmer in England (same d.o.b.) I am just using familysearch.org
at the moment.

Orinda

[Coromandel]

Re. William of Westchester . . . there seem to be a lot of unknowns in this William's life, which only encourages the growth of imaginary family trees. Estimates of his date of birth vary from 1590 to 1610 or even later. So far I have found people claiming he came over with his father from Nottinghamshire, that he was from Maidstone in Kent, and from Somerset, and from Sussex. Some have him marrying twice. There are several different suggested surnames for his wife Martha.

They can't all be true. I have to agree with an article in 'The American Genealogist' in 1949 which says 'Various assertions, quite erroneous, have been made in print about William Palmer of Westchester County, New York.' (I can only see a snippet on Google Books.) I can't tell what the author's conclusion was, but one online tree which cites information from that publication says William was born 'circa 1610, d. before 26 April 1670' and was probably born in England:

https://
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~brouwergenealogydata/p357.htm#i60123

As there doesn't seem to be any definite evidence of when William died (just that he was dead by a certain date) or of how old he was when he died, or how old he was at any given date, I don't think any birthdate can be calculated with certainty. There's no way you will be able to pick him out from all the ones on FamilySearch: indeed there's no guarantee his baptism is on FamilySearch at all, as it isn't complete. In some areas there are no surviving church records from the time William was born, and even when the records do survive they aren't necessarily online.

It will probably be much easier to rule out some of the William Palmers than to rule them in. Some will have died before reaching adulthood, and others you may be able to show stayed in England.

Somewhere there may be a document that links William in Westchester with a Palmer back in England: for example, a parent or sibling may have left a will mentioning their son or brother in USA. But you could spend years going through wills of Palmers looking for the connection.

This may be a question that DNA analysis will be able to answer: you'd need to compare the DNA of a living descendant (ideally in the male line) of William of Westchester with that of other Palmers of known descent.

[Orinda]

Hello:
That's a lot of information you have given me. I will go forward then. I have a Samuel Palmer
married to Abigail Ogilvie. Married in Aylesford, Nova Scotia. Children Essie and Owen Palmer.
Father of Samuel was Benjamin Palmer and married to Isabel Dunn. I am trying to connect with
New England Planters that came over from the New England States.
Not making much head way.

Orinda

[Orinda]

Hello:
I have found the correct William Palmer to link to my family tree: William Palmer of Parham, Somerset Approx. 1605
died in Westchester, New York, after 1670. I am now on the Somerset forum. Thanks to all to contributed.

Orinda

[christanel]

That is great news Orinda and it is very thoughtful of you to let the people who helped on this thread know that you have a result.

Christanel