M. 28 Apr 1668 in Salem, Massachusetts
Husband: Paul Thorndike
D. 12 May 1716 in Beverly, Massachusetts
Mary Patch was a key witness in a colonial New England trial. She was born on April 6, 1649 in Ipswich, Massachusetts to James Patch and Hannah Woodbury. Her parents were first cousins, and besides Mary, they had a son and two other daughters. Mary’s father died when she was nine-years-old. Her mother remarried five years later and had two more children.
On April 28, 1668, Mary was married to Paul Thorndike in Salem. Later that year, part of Salem broke off to become the new town of Beverly, and Paul was chosen to be one of the five first selectmen of the town. The couple started a family with the birth of a daughter in 1669; this was followed by six more children, with the youngest born in 1684.
Mary found herself involved in a sensational court case in 1674 when her second-cousin, Thomas Woodbury, was accused of sexual assault by a girl named Hannah Gray. At some point before she was married, Mary had lived in Woodbury’s house, so she went under oath to vouch for his character. She said she had never seen him have “evil, lascivious or wanton behavior,” nor did she hear him use “vain or frothy speeches.” Other witnesses testified that Hannah was often heard laughing and flirting with boys, with one man describing her as “a lying little devil.” Woodbury was acquitted and Hannah was punished by having to stand in front of the meetinghouse with a sign on her head that said, “I STAND HERE FOR MY LASCIVIOUS & WANTON CARRIAGES.”
Example of a Puritan wearing a sign for punishment.
Aside from Mary’s one appearance in court, she seems to have lived a quiet, ordinary life. Her husband Paul died in about 1697 and his estate was probated in January 1698. Mary’s name appeared in a record dated August 4, 1707 when she deeded land she inherited from her father to her son-in-law Richard Thistle. Mary passed away in Beverly on May 12, 1716 and was buried alongside her husband in Abbot Street Burial Ground. Mary was the direct ancestor of John Kerry.
Children:
1. Mary Thorndike — B. 8 Jan 1669, Beverly, Massachusetts; D. 31 Dec 1732, Beverly, Massachusetts; M. Robert Morgan (1670-1762), 7 Jan 1703, Beverly, Massachusetts
2. Elizabeth Thorndike — B. 14 Oct 1670, Beverly, Massachusetts; D. 12 Jun 1727, Hopkinton, Massachusetts; M. Samuel Gould (1670-1727)
3. Hannah Thorndike — B. 14 May 1673, Beverly, Massachusetts; D. before 1725; M. William Pride (1678-1737), 1699, Beverly, Massachusetts
4. John Thorndike — B. 22 Jan 1675, Beverly, Massachusetts; D. 23 Mar 1760, Beverly, Massachusetts; M. (1) Joanna Larkin (1673-1716), 20 Apr 1696, Beverly, Massachusetts; (2) Christiana Woodbury, 30 Mar 1718, Beverly, Massachusetts; (3) Abigail Conant, Jun 1732
5. Paul Thorndike — B. 17 Apr 1677, Beverly, Massachusetts; D. 14 Feb 1742; M. Mary Batchelder (~1670-?), 11 Dec 1701, Beverly, Massachusetts
6. Martha Thorndike — B. about 1682, Beverly, Massachusetts; D. after 2 Mar 1782; M. Richard Thistle (1685-1752), 1706
7. Herbert Thorndike — B. about 1684, Beverly, Massachusetts; D. 6 Jan 1762, Beverly, Massachusetts; M. (1) Sarah Herrick (1692-1718), 17 Jan 1712, Beverly, Massachusetts; (2) Abigail Sallows (1693-?), 8 Jan 1719, Beverly, Massachusetts
Sources:
History of Beverly: civil and ecclesiastical, from its settlement in 1630 to 1842, Edwin Martin Stone, 1843
Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Volumes V, edited by George Francis Drew, 1916
Massachusetts Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
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