Martha Church

• b. circa 1541, d. 16 December 1577
• Father John Church b. c 1520, d. 20 Apr 1577
• Mother Margaret Wiseman b. c 1520, d. Jul 1585

William Reade of Wickford was baptized on 11 March 1539/40 in Wickford, Essex, England.[1] He was the son of Roger Reade of Wickford by an unknown first wife. The will of his father makes clear that his current wife, Elizabeth, was not the mother of his sons John and William. John and William split the vast majority of their father's estate equally.

He married Martha Church, daughter of John Church, who lived in the neighboring parish of Runwell. Her parentage is proven by her father's will who names his daughter Martha Reade and his grandchildren Edmund Reade, John Reade and Margaret Reade by his daughter Martha. They had a total of eight children.

Martha Church was buried on 16 December 1577 at Wickford, Essex, England.

He married 2nd - Mary Unknown after 1577 (death of first wife). She survived William and was named in his will. She is probably the Mary Reade, widow, who married Arthur Helhouse on 7 August 1616 at Wickford.

Children of William Reade and Martha Church:[1]

1. Edmund Reade. Baptized on 23 May 1563 at Wickford. He married first Thomasine Wallenger in 1592, and then second Elizabeth Cooke in 1594. They had nine children. Edmund was buried on 1 December 1623 in Wickford.
2. William Reade. Baptized on 22 July 1564 at Wickford. Died young.
3. Margaret Reade. Baptized on 9 January 1566/7 at Wickford. She married William Hurt on 15 February 1586/7 in Wickford. Margaret died without issue before 1603 when her father made his will.
4. William Reade. Baptized on 24 May 1568 at Wickford. Buried there on 3 March 1571.
5. Mary Reade. Born say 1569. Buried on 9 January 1570 at Wickford.
6. Mary Reade. Baptized on 2 January 1571/2 at Wickford. Died before 1577 when her grandfather made his will.
7. Richard Reade. Baptized on 24 July 1573 at Wickford. Died before 1577 when her grandfather made his will.
8. John Reade. Baptized on 25 January 1575/6 at Wickford. John was buried on 12 October 1629 in North Benfleet.

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Origins

Will: of John Church of Runwell Hall, Gent., [2]
dated 26 Feb. 1577/8, proved 10 June 1578;
to wife Margaret, lands purchased of William Rogers in Runwell St;
to son THOMAS; to son CHARLES;
to son-in-law READE who married my daughter MARTHA and to their children EDMUND, JOHN, and MARGARET;
to Francis Grene,
to cousin FRANCIS CHURCHE

Common Errors to Avoid

Incorrect mother: Find A Grave and other websites make her mother to be Margaret Wiseman. This is incorrect. Margaret Wiseman was the second wife of John Church and they didn't marry until 27 November 1559 and so she cannot be the mother of any of John Church's children. Martha was the daughter of an unknown first wife.

References

• Evidences of the Winthrops of Groton, co. Suffolk, England, and of families in and near that county, with whom they intermarried. by Muskett, Joseph James, 1835-1910. Publication date 1894. Page 164. < Archive.Org >
• http://www.sanders-mcarthurfamily.org/getperson.php?personID=I4143&...
• http://soc.genealogy.medieval.narkive.com/n7CLlUwh/margaret-wiseman...
• The Ancestry of Bethia Harris, 1748 - 1833, Wife of Dudley Wildes of Topsfield, Massachusetts. Page 71. < MyHeritage >
• http://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/p2284.htm#...
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Church-136 cites
  • https://soc.genealogy.medieval.narkive.com/nALp0geb/mary-tirrell-wi...
  • Arthur Herbert Church. Records and Recollections, part 2. (Gloucester, 1899): page 12. This shows where "Joan Henkyn" came from. She is the first wife John Church of Malden.
  • https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/174202033/martha-reade Caution: Find A Grave contains MANY errors with this family and cannot be used.
  • Ancestral File Number: NVG2-HR. Caution: contains MANY errors with this family and cannot be used.