Agnes Webster

Biography

Agnes Smith was christened on 8/29/1585 in Cossington, Leicestershire, England, the daughter of Richard Smith and Agnes Wraske, and died Jul 1667 (aged 81) in Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, where she's buried in the Old Hadley Cemetery.

She married John Webster on Nov 7 1609 Cossington, Leicestershire, England. Honorable John Webster was born 16 August 1590 in Cossington, Leicestershire, England and died 5 April 1661 in Hadley, Massachusetts of a fever. He was buried April 1661 in Hadley, Massachusetts in The Old Hadley Cemetery. He was the son of Matthew Webster and Elizabeth Aston.

The nine children of John Webster (d. 1661) and Agnes Smith were baptized at Cossington, Leicestershire, England, before their emigration to New England:

1. Matthew (born about 11 February 1608/1609), married Sarah Waterbury and Mary Reeve
2. Margaret (born about 21 February 1609/1610 married William Bolton and Thomas Hunt
3. William (born 26 December 1614) married Mary REEVE
4. Thomas (born 24 November 1616) married Abigail ALEXANDER
5. Robert (born 17 November 1619) married Susanna TREAT
6. Anne (born 29 July 1621) married John MARSH
7. Elizabeth (born 16 March 1622/1623) married William MARKHAM
8. Mary (born 30 March 1623) She was buried on 15 April 1623.
9. Faith (born 8 April 1627, died 10 days later).

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Alternate year of death - 1657

(f/g) Agnes Smith Webster

• Birth: unknown, Cossington, Leicestershire, England
• Death: 1667, Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA

Agnes was the daughter of Richard Smith and his wife, Agnes Wraske Hulcock Smith. She was baptized on Aug. 29, 1585 in Cossington.

She married John Webster on Nov. 7, 1609 in Cossington.

The couple had nine children, all baptized in Cossington: Matthew, bap. Feb. 11, 1609/10; Margaret, bap. Feb. 21, 1611/12; William, bap. Sep. 26, 1614; Thomas, bap. Nov. 24, 1616; Robert, bap. Nov. 17, 1619; Anne, bap. Jul. 29, 1621; Mary, bap. Mar. 30, 1623, buried Apr. 15, 1623; Elizabeth, bap. May 10, 1624; and Faith, bap. Apr. 8, 1627, buried Apr. 16, 1627.

They first settled in Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. John then moved his family to Hartford, Connecticut in 1636, as one of the original landowners in Hartford.

John became Governor of the Colony of Connecticut in 1656.

The couple attended the First Congregational Church of Hartford. After a religious dispute, in 1659 John took a group of dissenters to Northampton, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. The family finally settled in Hadley.

Agnes had two grandchildren, Jonathan and Mary, by her daughter Margaret, who married Thomas Hunt. Following the deaths of their parents, Jonathan and Mary were sent to Massachusetts to live with their maternal grandparents, John Webster and Agnes Smith Webster. Their memorials can be found here:

• Jonathan Hunt
• Mary Hunt

One source states that Agnes died on July 15, 1655 in Hartford, Hartford Co., Connecticut; however, she was listed as a beneficiary in her husband's will, which was signed in 1659. A more reliable source lists her death year and place as above.

It is assumed, but not confirmed, that she is buried next to her husband.

Thanks to Gar Watson for the information on the children's baptism and grandchildren, as per Skillington, S.H., "The Ancestry of Governor John Webster," The American Genealogist 24:4 (Oct. 1948), p. 201.

More information can be found at the Connecticut State Library website. Family links: Spouse: John Webster (1590 - 1661) Children: William Webster (1614 - 1688)* Thomas Webster (1616 - 1686)* Robert Webster (1619 - 1676)* Anne Webster Marsh (1621 - 1662) Burial: Old Hadley Cemetery Hadley Hampshire County Massachusetts, USA Created by: Mary Jo C. Martin Record added: Mar 01, 2010 Find A Grave Memorial# 48988372 -tcd

http://archive.org/stream/stockingancestry00stoc/stockingancestry00...

Facts from this link: 1. Wife Anna and 4 children sailed from England in the ship Griffin and landed in Boston 1633. 2. Wife Anna and his 4 children named in his will dated 15 Jul 1673. 3. Married Agnes (Shotwell) Webster widow of John Webster after Anna's death.

About George Stocking: "He married, in England, his wife Anna, the mother of his children. After her death he is understood to have married (second) Agnes (Shotwell) Webster, widow of John Webster, governor of the colony."

References

1. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48988372/agnes-webster
2. http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA585&lpg=PA585&dq=George%20Stocki...