M. 17 Sep 1623 in South Petherton, England1
Wife: Elizabeth Owsley
D. Nov 1673 in Beverly, Massachusetts2
It’s hard to separate the life of Nicholas Patch from that of William Woodbury, who married his sister. Both men were from the same town in England, they seemed to have migrated to Massachusetts together, and they kept up an involvement with each other as they settled in the same community.
Nicholas was born to Nicholas and Jane Patch sometime before June 26, 1596 when he was baptized in South Petherton,1 a village in Somerset. Some sources say Nicholas was one of ten children, but many of them died young. His father was a church warden in South Petherton in 1600.3 Nicholas married Elizabeth Owsley (sometimes spelled Owley) on September 17, 1622.1 Just two months later, their oldest son John was baptized,1 so either there was a mistake in the transcript of the parish records, or Elizabeth was pregnant before they were married. Another son was born about three years later;1 there were likely other children who were unidentified in records.
Some have claimed that Nicholas migrated to New England in 1622 as part of the failed colony of Wessagusset, but there doesn't seem to be hard evidence for this. Nicholas arrived in the Massachusetts colony, possibly in about 1636, along with his family and his sister Elizabeth,4 who was married to William Woodbury. The two brothers-in-law acquired 40 acres in a part of Salem called Mackerel Cove.5 Nicholas’ wife Elizabeth gave birth to a son in 1638,6 their final child.
The community around Mackerel Cove was tight knit and many people became related to each other by marriage. In 1646, Nicholas’ middle son James married William Woodbury’s daughter Hannah.7
Chart showing the relationship between Nicholas Patch and William Woodbury.
Another neighbor was John Balch, and Nicholas was the executor of his will, signed in 1648;8 Woodbury was named as overseer of the estate in the same document. It’s been speculated that Balch’s second wife was a daughter of Nicholas named Agnes. Nicholas and his wife both testified in court regarding a probate issue after Agnes died in 1657. This may suggest a relationship with Agnes, although several others took the witness stand as well.
On July 6, 1647, Nicholas and his brother-in-law headed a list of petitioners of Mackerel Cove to be exempted from “watching,” a matter that was sent all the way to the General Court in Boston.8 The law required that all men in the colony make themselves available to help police the community by watching the behavior of others. It’s interesting that Nicholas didn’t want to perform this civic duty; perhaps it was because he just turned 50 and felt that younger men should do this sort of work. Similarly, in January of 1651, he got permission to not train for militia service, and here it was stated that he was too old for it.8
Towards the end of Nicholas’ life, the eastern part of Salem, including Mackerel Cove, was split off to become the town of Beverly, establishing its own church on June 23, 1667, and he was one of the first members.9 A few years later, in about November of 1673, Nicholas died.2 He had left no will, so the courts divided up his estate between his two surviving sons, John and Thomas.2 It’s believed that wife Elizabeth had died before he did since she wasn’t mentioned in his probate case. Nicholas was the 9G grandfather of John Kerry.10
Children:
1. John Patch — B. before 26 Dec 1623, South Petherton, England;1 D. after 14 Mar 1684, Beverly, Massachusetts;11 M. Elizabeth Blackenbury (~1628-1715)12
2. James Patch — B. before 28 Sep 1626, South Petherton, England;1 D. 6 Aug 1657, Beverly, Massachusetts;13 M. Hannah Woodbury (~1629-~1703), about 1646, Salem, Massachusetts7
3. Thomas Patch — B. about 1638, (probably) Salem, Massachusetts;6 D. 19 Feb 1722, Wenham, Massachusetts;14 M. Mary Scott (1637-1728), 1670, Ipswich, Massachusetts15
Sources:
1 England, Somerset, Church Records, 1501-1999, FamilySearch.org
2 Massachusetts Land Records, 1620-1986, FamilySearch.org
3 “Brief Life History of Nicholas,” Family Tree listing for Nicholas Patch (1554-1637), FamilySearch.org
4 Speculation for 1636 arrival is from Wikitree page of Nicholas Patch (~1555-1637)
5 Town Records of Salem, Massachusetts, Essex Institute, 1868-1934
6 Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Volume VI, edited by George Francis Drew, 1917
7 Estimated marriage date for James Patch and Hannah Woodbury based on birth of oldest child, Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915, FamilySearch.org
8 Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Volume I, edited by George Francis Drew, 1911
9 Genealogical and Family History of the State of New Hampshire, Vol. 2, Ezra S. Stearns, William Frederick Whitcher, Edward Everett Parker, 1908
10 Famous Kin (website)
11 Massachusetts, Essex County, Settlement of Estate of John Patch of Beverly 1694, FamilySearch.org
12 New England Marriages Prior to 1700, Ancestry.com
13 Massachusetts Deaths and Burials, FamilySearch.org
14 Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
15 The Great Migration, Robert Charles Anderson, page 212, 1999
