B.about 30 May 1602 in Ashford, England
M. 22 Jan 1624 in Ashford, England
Husband: Nicholas Butler
D. about Oct 1680 in Edgartown, Massachusetts
When Joyce Baker was near the end of her life, she made out a will with her grandchildren in mind. Joyce was born in the spring of 1602, and baptized on May 30th, in Ashford, England, a village located in Kent. Her parents were Richard Baker and Margaret Merry; her father was a miller whose family had “resided in Kent for many generations.” Joyce was thought to have at least one brother and two sisters.
Joyce married her husband, Nicholas Butler, on January 22, 1624; some sources say the wedding took place in Ashford and others say Appledore. They became the parents of at least four children born between 1625 and 1631; the youngest died as an infant. Joyce and Nicholas were Puritans, and in 1637, they boarded a ship called Hercules bound for America. Along with the family were four servants, which suggested the family had some wealth. They landed at Massachusetts and settled in Dorchester.
In 1649, Joyce was one of 21 women who signed a petition in Dorchester in support of Alice Tilly, a midwife accused of causing the deaths of several women and children. A total of 217 women in Boston and Dorchester signed in support of Tilly on six petitions that were circulated. It’s thought to be the earliest example of women taking a “collective political action” in America without the involvement of men.
Joyce and Nicholas, along with their son John and his family, moved to a new settlement on Martha’s Vineyard in about 1652, and this is where they spent the rest of her lives. The family lived in Edgartown on property that bordered the water, and also owned land in other locations on the island. Joyce was widowed in 1671 when Nicholas died. All her children were also gone by this time, with one having moved back to England and the other two having died. The family around Joyce were mostly her grandchildren, and when she grew old, she focused on them.
Joyce’s will was dated March 13, 1680, and she was very specific about which possession each grandchild would receive. She named such things as individual kitchen utensils, iron pots, blankets, pillows, pieces of furniture and each farm animal. One lucky grandson received “my dwelling house” with the land it was built on. An inventory was taken on October 28, 1680, so she must have died before that date. The entire estate was valued at about £165; today her land is worth millions.
Joyce was an ancestor of Wild Bill Hickock, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.
Children:
1. John Butler — B. 2 Jan 1625, Ashford, England; D. 1658, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts; M. Mary Lynde (1630-~1693), 1648, Massachusetts
2. Henry Butler — B. before 7 Sep 1626, Ashford, England; D. before 28 Apr 1696, Witham, England; M. Anne Bishop, 9 Mar 1655, Dorchester, Massachusetts
3. Lydia Butler — B. 23 Feb 1629, Ashford, England; D. 25 Jan 1667, Dorchester, Massachusetts; M. John Minot (1626-1669), 19 May 1647, Dorchester, Massachusetts
4. Thomas Butler — B. 28 Aug 1631, Ashford, England; D. 24 Sep 1631, Ashford, England
Sources:
The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol. II & III, Charles E. Banks, 1911
Glover Memorials and Genealogies, Anna Glover, 1867
The Ancestry of Blanche Butler Ames and Adelbert Ames, Pauline Ames Plimpton, 1977
WikiTree
Famous Kin (website)
