Individual Details

Agnes may have immigrated on the "Charles" which sailed from Barnstaple 10 Apr 1632, landing at Boston on June 5th. Mathew Allyn and wife Margaret were probably aboard. The Allyns first settled at Cambridge, where perhaps Agnes met William Spencer.

A grant of land in Cambridge, 4 Nov 1633, was to seven men including Matthew Allyn - three of these are known to have arrived 4 Sep 1633 on the Griffin. His arrival in Cambridge seems out of place since all others who arrived at this time were from East Anglia. Those from Devon mostly resided first in Dorchester. It is known that Matthew returned for a conference in England with certain merchants who were of Barnstaple, Devonshire. Matthew Allyn was baptized Brauton, Devonshire, 17 Apr 1605, son of Richard and Margaret (Wyott) Allyn.
Great Migration Begins, Vol I-III, p. 40-44

Original Distribution of Lands In Hartford Among the Settlers, 1639, Hartford, 1912
p.353 1646
Land in Harford upon Connecticut River belonging to William Edwordes.
One parcel on which his dwelling house now stands with yards and gardens, two roods. Abuts on the meeting house lot on the South, the prisonhouse yard on the East, Thomas Burnams land on the West, Rich: Goodmans land on the North
One part of which he bought of John Morres.
One parcel which he had in exchange of Mr. John Pantrey in the North meadow, four acres. Eight rod wide, abuts the highway East, John Marsh on the North, John Pantrys land on the South and the Neck of land on the West.
p.354
22 Oct 1663
Wm Edwards hath granted & confirmed to Agnes Edwards his wife and to her heirs his dwelling house and shop together with his home lot, it now stands upon. Also a parcel in the North meadow, four acres. Also all the movables, household stuff, goods & apparel whatsoever which are in the dwelling house at present (his own and servants clothes & working tools only excepted). Also one cow and all his swine to be her & her heirs for ever. Under his hand and seal. Witnessed by John Tallcott & John Allyn.
Recorded 2 Feb 1663.

Agnes and husband William Edwards were still residing at Hartford Mar. 4, 1679/80 when William Edwards testified regarding his own mother's verbal will (she d. at Hartford Feb. 20, 1679/80) that left a house to him and wife Agnes to reside in for the remainder of their lives, then at their death to fall to their son Richard Edwards.

A Boston Transcript snippet says her name was Agnes Pratt, but that was an error. She was in fact given several different possible surnames until Douglas Richardson researched the lady and published "The English Origin of Agnes Harris, of Hartford, Conn., Wife of William Spencer and William Edwards" in The American Genealogist, Vol. 63, Jan 1988, p.33-45.

The problem of identity was brought on by the wording of the will of Agnes's first husband William Spencer. Spencer died suddenly in 1640, leaving a nuncupative (oral) will. The will was recorded in both 4 Mar and 4 May of 1640, in Hartford, CT. In the will he alludes to possible inheritance of his wife. He also named three men to have over sight of his estate and named them as "cosen" Mathew Allen, his "brother" John Pratt, and John Taylcoate [Talcott]. Assumptions were made by researchers, that one of these three was surely related to William Spencer's wife - although both terms, cousin and brother, did not always mean in 1640 what we would think today.

Then a biography written in 1795 of the famous theologian, Jonathan Edwards, who was also a great grandson of Agnes Harris and her second husband, mentioned that Mrs. Agnes Edwards "who also came out of England, had two brothers in England, one of them mayor of Exeter, the other of Barnstable." Exeter & Barnstaple are both in Devon - also the home of the Mathew Allyn mentioned in William Spencer's will, and the Allyn's were kinfolk of Agnes, although perhaps quite distant kin. Richardson speculates she may have immigrated with the Allyns, perhaps even as a servant in their household. Most now believe William Spencer and Agnes Harris were married in New Towne [later Cambridge], Massachusetts, about 1633 where both Mathew Allyn and William Spencer were then living.

Of course the eventual discovery of the truth of her identity revealed only some truths but with these suggestions, Douglas Richardson was able to determine that one of her brothers, Richard Harris, was indeed the mayor of Barnstaple in 1648. Another of her brothers, George Harris, had married Alice Marshall, whose father, John was mayor of Exeter in 1615-16. And he found baptisms for several siblings of Richard and George, one of whom was indeed Agnes.

Then the probate records were examined. Agnes's identity is conclusively proved by the wills of her mother Elizabeth Harris, 1649, her sister Priscilla Harris 1651, and her brother Richard Harris, 1665, all of which mention Agnes and her heirs.

No link was found between Matthew Allyn and Agnes Harris, although the relationship may have been through Allyn's wife, Margaret Wyatt. Margaret and Agnes have common descent from the Fortescue family but that seems a bit too far back for them to have known. Margaret Wyatt may have been related to Agnes's maternal grandfather, Henry Collamore.

In Richardson's excellent article is a summary of the siblings of Agnes, and detailed abstracts of the Harris Probates.

Agnes Harris is a "gateway" ancestor to many of the lineage societies.

Agnes (Harris) Spencer Edwards (1604-ca 1680), wife successively of William Spencer and William Edwards, both of Hartford CT. Original research of Douglas C. Richardson, self-published Bethany, OK, 1987. Contains family group sheets and pedigree charts and transcriptions of wills and Inquisition Post-mortem of several of Agnes's ancestors. Traces her lineage from the sister of William Conqueror and from the Magna Carta Surety, William Malet. The book is greatly expanded from his article published in TAG, 1988.
This 97 page book is at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City - it has not been filmed.

The Royal Descents of 500 Immigrants to the American Colonies or the United States, by Gary Boyd Roberts, Genealogical Publishing Co, Inc., Baltimore, 1993, p.4440445 lists the lineage of Agnes from Hugh Capet, King of France, who died in 996.

Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700, Edited by William R. and Kaleen E. Beall, Genealogical Publishing Co, Inc., Baltimore, 8th Edition, 2004, traces Agnes Harris's lineage back to Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emporer, 800 A.D., and beyond.

Agnes's Royal Lineage may also be seen on the webpage, "The Royal Ancestry of Agnes Harris"
http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~legends/royalhar.html

The website of The Baronial Order of Magna Carta and The Military Order of The Crusades, http://www.magnacharta.com/, lists Agnes Harris as a gateway ancestor to both organizations indicating that her lineage has been proved back to one of the Surety Barons who witnessed the signing of the Magna Carta, and that she also had an ancestor who participated in the Crusades.

The Brookfield Ancestor Project
http://www.brookfieldpublishing.com/Barons/magna_charta_barons_at_runnymede.htm
which provides an extensive list of persons who can be traced back to the Surety Barons, provides the name of the Agnes's Baron ancestor - he was
WILLIAM MALET, the Surety, was mentioned as a minor in the year 1194, in connection with an expedition made that year into Normandy. His principal estate was Curry-Malet. From 1210 to 1214 he was sheriff of counties Somerset and Dorset. He then joined the Barons against King John and became one of the Sureties. He had lands in four counties which were confiscated and given to his son-in-law, Hugh de Vivonia, Thomas Basset, and to his father-in-law, and Malet was excommunicated by the Pope in 1216. He was also fined 2,000 marks, but the sum was not paid until after his death, and at that time 1,000 marks were remitted, being found due to him for military service to King John in Poitou. It is interesting to note that there were five contemporary relatives named Malet, all of whom held lands in England or in Jersey. William Malet died about 1217, having married Mabel, called also Alice and Aliva, daughter of Thomas Basset of Headington. Nothing now remains of Malet's estate of Curry-Malet.

Christen	6 Apr 1604	Barnstaple, Devonshire, England
Marriage	Abt 1633	WILLIAM SPENCER
Marriage	11 Dec 1645	Hartford, Hartford/Middlesex County, Connecticut - William Edwards
Death	Aft 1680
Gateway Ancestor

Spouse	WILLIAM SPENCER ( - 1640)
Child	ELIZABETH SPENCER (1634 - 1680)
Child	Sarah Spencer (1636 - )
Child	Samuel Spencer (1639 - )

Spouse	William Edwards ( - 1680)
Child	Richard Edwards (1647 - 1718)

Father	BARTHOLOMEW HARRIS (1560 - )
Mother	ELIZABETH COLLAMORE ( - )
Sibling	George HARRIS ( - 1635)
Sibling	Agnes HARRIS ( - )
Sibling	Priscilla HARRIS ( - )
Sibling	Johane HARRIS ( - 1647)
Sibling	John HARRIS ( - 1628)
Sibling	Phillip HARRIS ( - )
Sibling	Phillipa HARRIS ( - )
Sibling	Elizabeth HARRIS ( - )
Sibling	Richard HARRIS ( - )
Sibling	Mary HARRIS ( - )

Webtags

Notes