Mary Ashley (1644-1702)

Mary Ashley was born 6 Apr 1644 in in Springfield, MA, third child of Robert Ashley and his wife Mary. She was my son-in-law’s 8th great-grandmother.

Her  parents had both come from England, and they had married in Springfield in 1641. This was Mary’s second marriage, she had first married a Thomas Horton, with whom she had two sons. Mary and Robert make up a marriage contract in which she signs over all her property to Robert. In return he will take care of her two children.

There is debate on whether Mary Ashley’s mother was the same as Mary Eddy, daughter of John Eddy and Amy Doggett, who also married a Thomas Horton. However, this is NOT the case⁽¹⁾, as they both have children at the same time: Mary Eddy with Thomas in Watertown, Mary with Robert in Springfield. Also Mary Eddy was born in 1625, and Mary (wife of Robert) married Thomas Horton before 1638, which seems awfully young.

Mary Ashley married John Root III, son of John Root II and Mary Kilbourne, in Springfield in 1664. John was born in Connecticut, and John and Mary moved before 1667 to Westfield, MA, as John is listed in the first division of house lots there.⁽²⁾ Mary Ashley died in 1702, leaving eight children, four of whom are known to have married and have offspring.

Mary Ashley’s parents are mentioned quite frequently in court records. The Pynchon Papers⁽³⁾ have many references to them. These papers are a fascinating glimpse into the mores of those times.

(1) Mjenks. Horton, “Thomas Horton/Orton of Charlestown.” Listserve message to HORTON-L (Archives). 19 Dec 2005. Archived at http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.horton/2469/mb.ashx
(2) Francis B. Trowbridge, compiler, The Ashley Genealogy: History of the Descendants of Robert Ashley of Springfield, MA (New Haven: Tuttle, Morehouse and Taylor, 1896), pg. 9. Online at https://ia600305.us.archive.org/2/items/ashleygenealogyh00trow/ashleygenealogyh00trow.pdf
(3) Joseph H. Smith, editor, Colonial Justice in Western Massachussets (1939-1702): The Pynchon Court Record (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1961.) Online at https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001143776