Sarah WALKER

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Daughter of William Walker
• Christening: 10 Nov 1622, St. Olave's Southwark

Notes:

Name:
In 1975, genealogist John Insley Coddington deduced from a 1653 Plymouth Colony record that when William Collier married Jane Clarke in 1611, she was a widow. The Plymouth Colony record stated, "Mrs. Jane Collyare in behalf of her grandchild the wife of the said National Warren" testified in Plymouth Court for a land dispute. Coddington proposed that Jane had a daughter - by her previous husband Mr. Clarke - who married a Walker. Coddington further suggested that the "Sarah, daughter of William Walker, draper, who was baptized at St. Olave's, Southwark on 10 November 1622, was 'probably' the grandchild of Jane Collier who married Nathaniel Warren."

Since Sarah was from the same parish where William Collier and Jane Clarke married and had several Collier children, and no other Sarah Walker matched Plymouth Colony records, Coddington's proposed spouse of Nathaniel Warren was widely accepted. She had the right name, was in the right parish, and was born at a feasible date that corresponded with Jane's time in London. Well, maybe not.

New research conducted by this article's authors has yielded new evidence which disputes Coddington's suggested attribution. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to present evidence that provides an alternative answer to the question: WHO ARE THE PARENTS OF SARAH WALKER?

The first author's previous article showed that Jane Gates/Yates married first Thomas Clarke, by whom she had four children, and second William Collier, by whom she had thirteen additional children. Sarah is likely a grandchild through a daughter of Jane. If Sarah was a grandchild through a son of Jane, then her surname would have been either Clarke or Collier. As her surname is Walker, then it is reasonable that a daughter of Jane married a Mr. Walker, and they had a child named Sarah.

Of Jane and William Collier's many contributions to the success of Plymouth Colony after their arrival in 1633, their five surviving daughters (Mary, Rebecca, Sarah, Elizabeth, Ruth) were perhaps their greatest legacy.

Other children of this couple did not survive. Could any of these five daughters be the mother of Sarah Walker? The answer is No.

the marriages of four of these daughters are well documented in the Plymouth Colony records. They all married for the first time, with Collier as their surname at marriage, to men whose surname was not Walker. Mary Collier married Thomas Prence in 1635 after his first wife, Patience Brewster (William) died of "pestilence fever." Rebecca Collier married Job Cole in 1634. Sarah Collier married Love Brewster (William), the same year. Elizabeth Collier married Constant Southworth (Edward) in 1637. Finally, the fifth and youngest daughter, Ruth Collier, about age sixteen, married Daniel Cole (John) in say 1643, as published last year. There is also no substantive argument that Sarah could have been an illegitimate child of one of these daughters. Were that the case, Sarah's surname would likely have been Collier.

If Coddington's attribution was correct, Sarah Walker was twenty-three years of age upon her marriage to Nathaniel Warren on 19 December 1645. Jane herself had married aged 16 years and seven months, as had her youngest daughter, Ruth. If Jane Clarke had a daughter marry a Mr. Walker, a likely year of birth for Sarah would be between 1625 and 1629. this is later than the Sarah Walker baptized in 1622, but it is close enough for continued interest. Could any of Jane's children with William Collier be the right age to have had a child between 1625 and 1629?

Mary was thirteen in 1625, and seventeen in 1629;

Rebecca was ten in 1625, and fourteen in 1629;

Sarah was nine in 1625, and thirteen in 1629;

Elizabeth was six in 1625, and ten in 1629.

Ruth was born in 1627, could not have had children until at least 1641.

Therefore, the only daughter old enough to have borne a child before her marriage in America was Mary. Her young age would make it unlikely, although no impossible Sarah's mother was most likely a bit older than Jane and William's eldest daughter born in February 1611/12.

Before her marriage to William Collier, Jane married Thomas Clark. Jane married Thomas Clarke in the parish at St. Benet's Grace-church where: "27th December 1603 were married Thomas Clarke and Jane Gates both of St. Olave's by license." After their marriage, Thomas and Jane Clarke returned to St. Olave's where he following children were born.

27 Sept 1605 Margaret bpt. dau. of Thomas Clarke, dyer;

17 Feb 1606/7 Thomas bap., son of Thomas Clarke, dyer;

30 Aug 1608 Joyce bap., dau. of Thomas Clarke, dyer;

22 July 1610 Henry bap., son of Thomas Clarke, dyer,; and bur. 27 July 1610.

Henry Clarke died within a few days of his birth, but Thomas, Margaret, and Joyce al survived their father's death in St. Olave's parish in September 1610. Thomas Clarke's will was proved 4 October 1610. Eight months later, Jane brought these three surviving children into her marriage with William Collier in 1611. With the discovery of both Margaret and Joyce's existence, we now have discovered two daughters of Jane, but not of William, who were of the right age to have had a child in the 1620s. Margaret was sixteen in 1621, and Joyce was sixteen in 1624.

Margaret Clarke's identity, as the wife of Alexander Wilding, is confirmed by the will of Jane's mother, Alice Arnold. Her will was written 3 Feb. 1625/6 and proved two months later, on 8 April 1626. Margaret was mentioned in her grandmother's will, but her name was crossed out. Margaret died on 24 July 1625, seven months before this will was formally written. Given Alice Arnold's estate as a widow, it is likely that Margaret died while the will was being written, and her name was then crossed out. As Further proof of a family connection to Alexander Wilding as Margaret's husband, Alice's will refers to a debt of L10 owed to her by "Alexander Wylding, Feltmaker at St. Olave's." Alice also refers to Alexander Wilding as being a tenant of hers for a property in Bermondsey Street in Olave's.

Given these facts, Margaret (Clarke) wilding, daughter of Thomas and Jane Clarke, can be discounted as the mother of Sarah Walker. This leaves only her sister, Joyce Clarke, as a possible candidate for Sarah's mother, as confirmed by the testimony of Jane Clarke that Sarah (Walker) Warren was her granddaughter.

Joyce Clarke's life is not as apparent as it is for her sister Margaret. St. Olave's parish register shows that Joyce was baptized 30 August 1608 as the daughter of Thomas Clarke, dyer.but this register runs only until 1627. The parish records cease until 1639 when the next register resumes. This thirteen-year gap occurs at the most crucial point in this family's history.

Alice Arnold's will, written in February 1625/6 and proved in April 1626, yields more clues. In her will, Alice refers to Joyce Clarke as her unmarried granddaughter. Joyce's unmarried status is referred again when Alice lists a quantity of clothes and household items that she will leave Joyce when Joyce either attains the age of 21 or marries. There is also the stipulation that she is to marry with the consent of her mother. It is clear therefore that by April 1626, Joyce was unmarried.

At this point, it is worth reviewing the baptism of Sarah Walker found in St. Olave's in 1622. This Sarah would have been nearly four years old when Alice wrote her will. Alice's will, carefully thought out and long at six pages, is comprehensive. Alice mentions all her living direct descendants. So why is this Sarah Walker missing? She was baptized in 1622.

If Sarah was an illegitimate child of Joyce Clarke, then Sarah's name would likely have been Clarke. Joyce had clearly not yet married a Mr. Walker, or, indeed, anyone else by February 1625/26. The fact that Sarah Walker - daughter of William Walker, baptized 10 November 1622 in St. Olave's parish - is missing from Alice Arnold's will entirely, and her age is suspect, casts doubt on her being the correct Sarah Walker.

But the authors of this article did discover a breakthrough record: a parish register mentioning the marriage, by license, of Joyce Clarke to marry a John Walker. "John Walker of St. Olave's in Southwark and Joyce Clarke of same parish were married the ? of ? 1626 by lyc (licence) from my Lord Grace of Canterbury." this transcription indicates they were both from St. Olave's and married in the parish of st. Peter Westcheap. Licenses issued by "My Lord Grace of Canterbury" refer to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Unfortunately, this parish's original records in this period are now missing. W.H. Challen made the transcription, presumable from the parish register, at the beginning of the twentieth century. No registers now survive for st.Peter's Westcheap between 159 and 129, possibly due to bomb damage in World war II. Neither does the original license or a copy exist at Lambeth Palace Archives. this transcript appears to be all that now survives....

The authors' theory is that Joyce and John Walker likely returned to St. Olave's after their marriage to be near Joyce's mother, Jane (Gates/Yates)(Clarke) Collier, and live in the parish where they grew up. their children were most likely baptized there, with Sarah amongst them. A first child would most likely be born as early as 1627. even if Sarah was a second child, born in 1628-29, she would have been at least 16 years old on 19 November 1645, the date when Jane Collier's granddaughter Sarah Walker married Nathaniel Warren. these dates fit expectations precisely, whereas that for the Sarah Walker baptized in 1622 do not....

Our conclusion is that Sarah Walker, who married Nathaniel Warren in 1645 in Plymouth Colony, is the daughter of John and Joyce (Clarke) Walker. they married "by license" in 1626/27 in St. Peter Westcheap, in London, England.

WILLIAM E "BILL" COLE, MA

NICOLA WADDINGTON, MA

Sarah married Nathaniel WARREN on 19 Nov 1645 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA. Nathaniel (son of Richard WARREN and Elizabeth WALKER) was born in 1624 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts ; died between 16 Jul and 21 Oct 1667 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Richard WARREN was born in 1646 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; died on 23 Jan 1696/7 in Plymouth or Middleboro, Massachusetts.
2. Sarah WARREN was born on 29 Aug 1649 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; died after 04 Mar 1693 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts.
3. Hope WARREN was born on 06 Mar 1650/1 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; died before 9 Jan 1689/90.
4. Jane WARREN was born on 31 Dec 1652 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; died on 27 Feb 1682 in Barnstable, Massachusetts.
5. Elizabeth WARREN was born on 15 Sep 1654 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; died after 10 Jan 1689/90.
6. Alice WARREN was born on 02 Aug 1656 in Plymouth, Massachusetts; died between 04 Mar 1692 and 23 Jun 1725.
7. Mercy WARREN was born on 20 Feb 1656/7 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; died in 1728 in Dartmouth, Bristol Co., Massachusetts; was buried in Acushnet Cemetery, Alcushnet, Bristol Co., Massachusetts.
8. Mary WARREN was born on 09 Mar 1660 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; died before 09 Jan 1689/90.
9. Nathaniel WARREN was born on 10 Mar 1661 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; died on 29 Oct 1707 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts.
10. John WARREN was born on 23 Oct 1663 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; died before 09 Jan 1689/90.
11. James WARREN was born on 07 Nov 1665 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts; died on 29 Jan 1714/5 in Plymouth, Plymouth Co., Massachusetts.
12. Jabez WARREN was born about 1667; died on 19 Apr 1701 in Drowned at sea.

John married Joyce CLARKE in 1626/27 (License) in St. Peter Westcheap, in London, England. Joyce (daughter of Thomas CLARKE and Jane YATES) was christened on 30 Aug 1608 in St. Olave's Parish, Southwark, Surrey. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Thomas married Jane YATES on 27 Sep 1603 in St. Benet's Gracechurch Parish, London. Jane (daughter of Henry YATES and Alice ?) was christened on 5 Feb 1586/7 in St. Olave's Parish, Southwark, Surrey; died after 28 Jun 1666 in Prb. in Duxbury Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Henry married Alice ?. Alice was buried on 29 Mar 1626 in St. Olave\'s Parish, Southwark, Surrey. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]