Born ca. 1592, in Elmswell-on-the-Rye, Suffolk, England.
Died before 4 April 1665, in Branford, New Haven, Connecticut.
Married before 1619, in England.
Margery was born in England and died in Wethersfield, Hartford County, Connecticut.
Nothing is known of Margery except for her name on the ship "Francis" when she came to America with her husband and eight children in 1634. It is assumed that she arrived in Connecticut with her husband but died within the ten years. However, no date of death or place of burial can be found. It is believed that she was not alive in 1644.
Robert was one of the group considered to be Puritans.
Robert and Margery settled in an Indian settlement known as Pyquag, which was soon renamed Watertown. The name was changed to Wethersfield in 1635. Robert is seen in many original land records and histories of the town. He was constable in 1640 and Representitive in 1641-1643 in Wethersfield. He was a Freeman in Stratford in 1648..
Some time between 1644 and 1646, Robert and some of his children moved to Branford, CT. It is believed that he had a tiff with the minister of the Congregational Church in Wethersfield, and that is one of the reasons he and several of his neighbors decided to move. He is also seen in many deeds and town records in Branford, CT.
Married 1664, in Branford, New Haven County, Connecticut.
It is believed Elizabeth was born in England. She died 28 July 1677 in Bradford, New Haven, Connecticut.
It is unsure if the second wife of Robert was the Elizabeth with the Maiden name of Wood, however, this is the belief of Jacobus in the book Ancient families of New Haven, CT. If so, she married in England and came to America with her first husband, John Potter, and was subsequently married two more times.
The date of her death was sometime between July, 1677 and Feb, 1678/9, but according to New Haven Vital Statistics, it was on July 28. It is believed that Elizabeth came to America with John Potter, and, after the time of his death, was thought to be a woman who was strong-willed and disobedient. Therefore when she began to accept the attentions of her second husband, Edward Parker, he was advised by the elders of the church that he should leave her alone. Because of this reprimand, she refused to join the church, and she and Edward Parker were married, in spite of the disapproval of the elders.
Apparently she was also a good business woman, because at the time of her death, although she left her will unsigned, it was accepted as a legal binding document by the court. Also, she detailed specificly what was to go to each of her children and even made provisions for her oldest grandchild. Her two sons, John Potter and John Parker were executers of her will and she had aquired a sum of over 49 pounds, as well as a house with "land and meadows". She had already given half of the buildings and land in Branford to Robert's son Jonathan.
Robert remarried in Branford in 1664, and he died a few months after his marriage. His will reads:
There is much more information on Robert Rose in early Branford and Wethersfield records. These have been detailed in the book," Robert Rose of Branford and Wethersfield", written by Christine Rose. Also much is found in the book, "The History of Ancient Wethersfield" and the book, "History of New Haven County".
Return to Rose index page.
Created 02-Sep-2009