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Wood, Barry. Email: 2008-09-17



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  • Title Wood, Barry. Email: 2008-09-17 
    Short Title Wood, Barry. Email: 2008-09-17 "Ruth (Lea) Wood, not Mousall, and Ralph Marshall - Mashall"  
    Publisher Email message from luciusmontooth (at) yahoo.com, 17 September 2008 
    Source ID S272 
    Text Rob -- Thanks for your efforts in assembling the genealogical information on your website, including that about Thomas Wood of Rowley, Mass.

    I would, however, appreciate your correcting the reference to Ruth "Mousall" as Thomas Wood's mother. This factoid is widespread but it is absolutely, uncontestably, completely, utterly false.

    This notion is the product of the mention in Ralph Mousall's will of his "daughter Ruth Wood." However, Ralph was not talking about Ruth the wife of Edward Wood and the mother of Thomas Wood here. For one thing, that Ruth Wood had already been dead a number of years when Ralph wrote his will. One doesn't make bequests to corpses.

    Edward Wood and his wife Ruth Lea (or Lee) were from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, where the christenings of their older children appear in the parish register. The register also records their marriage in Nuneaton, 2 Feb 1619 /20.

    There is some evidence that Ralph Mousall (as "Marshall") spent some time in Warwichshire prior to his emigration to Mass. Bay, although there was more than one man with this name in England at the time so this could have been someone other than the immigrant.

    After the untimely death of Edward & Ruth (Lea) Wood in 1642, the orphan children were evidently dispersed. The youngest surviving child, Ruth (born as you have it perhaps 1636, or I would say rather 1637 or 1638) was taken in by Ralph Mousall and raised by him and his wife as a foster child.

    It's intriguing that a Ralph Marshall maarried one Alice Holmes at York in 1637. Holmes was the maiden name of Edward Wood's mother, variously called Margaret or Alice in the Nuneaton parish register. However, Ralph "Mushall" (perhaps it should be read "Mashall") was already in Charlestown by 1630, when he was made a freeman. Perhaps he traveled back to England to secure a wife....

    Any questions, email me, call 509 943-4459, or write to me at 1627 Horn Ave., Richland, Washington 99354.

    lucius montooth [luciusmontooth (a) yahoo.com] 
    Linked to (3) Ruth Lea
    Marie-Anne LeRoy dite Audy
    Ruth Wood