| Notes |
- RESEARCH_NOTES:
1. Partial excerpt from the biography of William Spencer from the book "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633," Volumes I-III (see notes of William Spencer for full citation):
"William Spencer
Origin: Stotfold, Bedfordshire
Migration: 1631... Birth: Baptized Stotfold, Bedfordshire, 11 October 1601, son of Gerrard and Alice (Whitbread) Spencer [TAG 27:162]...
Associations: William Spencer was brother of Thomas Spencer of Cambridge and Hartford, and of Michael Spencer and Gerard Spencer of Lynn [TAG 27:79-87, 161-65]..."
2. Partial excerpt from the biography of Thomas Spencer from the book "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633," Volumes I-III (see notes of Thomas Spencer for full citation):
"Thomas Spencer
Origin: Stotfold, Bedfordshire
Migration: 1633..
Birth: Baptized Stotfold, Bedfordshire, 29 March 1607, son of Gerard and Alice (Whitbread) Spencer [TAG 27:162]..."
3. "The American Genealogist," 27:161: "The Four Spencer Brothers: Their Ancestors and Descendants," by Donald Lines Jacobus:
"Gerard Spencer, baptized at Stotfold, co. Bedford, 20 May 1576, died before 1646; married at Upper Gravenhurst, Co. Bedford, 10 Nov. 1600, Alice Whitbread or Whitbred (see 32:129), who belonged to a family of some prominence. An account of her family is reserved for a later chapter. It seems quite possible that Gerard and his family moved from Stotfold some years before the emigration of his sons to New England; perhaps to London, where his brother Richard had become a prosperous haberdasher.
Children, recorded at Stotfold
i. William, bapt. 11 Oct. 1601.
ii. Elizabeth, bapt. 31 Oct. 1602; m. ___ Tomlins.
iii. John, bapt. 22 Jan. 1603/4 almost certainly d. young or without issue before 1646, since neither he nor his heirs are named in the will of his uncle Richard which gave a large legacy to each of his three surviving brothers and the same amount to the children of his deceased brother William.
iv. Henry, bapt. 11 Aug. 1605; bur. 20 Oct. 1607.
v. Thomas, bapt. 29 Mar. 1607.
vi. Richard, bapt. 11 Dec. 1608; bur. 6 May 1614.
vii. A son, bur. 24 Mar. 1609/10.
viii. Michael, bapt. 5 May 1611.
ix. Gerard, bapt. 25 Apr. 1614."
4. FHL book 929.273 Sp33 "The Spencers of the Great Migration," by Jack Taif Spencer and Edith Woolley Spencer (Gateway Press, Baltimore; 1997) vol. 1, pp. 55-57:
"Chart II. The Near Relatives of Alice Whitbread who Married Gerard Spencer of Stotfold, Beds. - Parents of the Five Spencer Siblings who Came to New England about 1630:
-Thomas Whitbread (b. ca 1522)
-John (b. ca. 1548 Upper Gravenhurst, Beds. = Eleanor Radcliffe. Children all b. Upper Gravenhurst:
-Elizabeth
-William (ca1573-1640) = Elizabeth ___. Children b. Upper Gravenhurst: Henry (b. 1601) = Eliz. Farnell; William (1602-1602); John (1603-1621); Elizabeth (1605); Henry Whitbread; Thomas (b. 1607) = Joan Carter; Sibyl (b. 1610) = Caesar Lucas; William (b. 1612) = Joan Cooper. [Note that the author continues with another generation or two from children of this family.]
-Henry (b. ca 1576) = Elizabeth Leventhorpe. Children b. Cardington, Beds.: Henry (b. 1605) = Eliz. Whitbread; John (unm.); Elizabeth (b. 1607); Eleanor = Robt. Sheering; Mary; Ann = Samuel Baker; Frances.
-Alice = Gerard Spencer
-Francis (b. 1581)
-John (b. 1584) = Mary Newman. Children b. Elstow, Beds.: Eleanor 9b. 1616) = William Newman; William (1617-ca 1660) = Eliz. Peck; John (b. 1617 - twin); Judith (b. 1619 = Wm. Edwards; Mary (b. 1622), and Thomas (b. 1624).
-Judith (b. 1591) = Richard Poulter"
5. TAG 127[July 1956]:129-142 "The Whitbread Family of Gravenhurst, Bedfordshire, England," by Clarence Almon Torrey:
"John(2) Whitbread (Thomas-1), born probably about 1548, was a resident of Upper Gravenhurst as early as 1571, and appears to have been the John Whitbred (as the name is written in the parish register) who was buried 28 Nov 1598. Diligent search has failed to bring to light a will or other probate record and no deeds to or from him have been found.
He married Eleanor (or Ellenor as her name appears in the probate record). She was of Elstow in her nuncupative will (given below) which was probated 18 April 1629, and was probably then living with her youngest son John, who had settled in Elstow. But she was the "widow Whitebread" who was buried at Upper Gravenhurst 20 Nov 1628, probably in the churchyard near her husband's grave.
There is reason to believe that Eleanor was related in some way to a promenet Radcliffe family. On 1 Aug 1611, Sir Edward Radcliffe of Elstow, Knt., for 32 pounds, conveyed to John Radwell of Kempaton, ploughwright, a messuage or tenement in Elstowe, giving a covenant of assurance against Dame Isabel Radcliffe, late of Elstowe, deceased, his mother. And the same date, John Whitbred of Elstow, husbandman,for 20 pounds, gave to John Radwell assurance of quiet enjoyment of the same premises against "Elner Whitbread fo Eluestowe," his mother. (Publications for the Bedfordshire Historical Record Society, 4:22-23)
Sir Edward Radcliffe was son of Sir Humphrey Radcliffe, who died 13 Aug 1566, aged 57, by his wife Isabel Hervey, who died 8 May 1594. Eleanor, a generation younger than Isabel, does not appear on the Radcliffe pedigree in the Visitation of Bedfordshire, 1566. Sir Edward presumably was giving assurance against any incumbrance tha tmight have been placed on the property by his mother Isabel, or perhaps against claims of her creditors or heirs, so the property may have an inheritance from the Hervey family. It has not been learned how Eleanor was related to the Radcliffes or Herveys.
"The last will and testmt, or Ellenor Whitebread last of Elstowe deceased uttered by her in her life time and since her death put into writings as followeth. The said Ellenor Whitebread beinge of pfect memorie did in the prsence of William Whitebread and Henrye Whitebread utter her minds touchings the disposing of her worldlie goods as followeth vizt. Imprimis she gave unto Willia' Whitebread her eldest sonne her silver measure and after his decease to his eldest sonne Henery Whitebread and after his decease to his eldest sonne Willia' for to be a standard for ever unto the heire of the Whitebreads. It' she gave unto Willia' Whitebread her godsoone a silver spoone. It' she gave unti Henery Whitebread her godsonne a silver spoone and unto Ellenor Whitebread her goddaughter his sister a silver spoone and a porridg pot. It' she gave unto Willia' Spencer a silver spoone beinge my godsonne. It' she gave unto Ellenor Whitebread her goddaughter unto John Whitebread a silver spoone & a porridgpot. It' she gave unto Ellenor Chapman her godaughter (sic) a porrigpott if ever she do come for it. It' she gave unto John Whitebread her godsonne a silver spoone. It' she gave unto Thomas Spencere xlvj s. viij d. It' she willed her sonne John Whitebread to pay all her debts and to be her Executor." (No signatures or date) Probate: 18th April to Executor named. (Copy of the Will of Ellenor Whitbred of Elstow 1629, Bedord Archdeaconry Court, 1628/9, No. 122.)
The manner in which Eleanor left her silver measure to be a standard forever to the heir of the Whitbreads suggest that she was a woman of great family pride, even though not of great wealth, and accords with the belief that she may have belonged to a family of a somewhat hight social status than her husband's family was in her generation. Her eldest son William by 1639 styled himself a gentelman, and it is possible that some part of his landed property may have been inherited from his mother.
The recorded marriage of Alice Whitbread in 1600 to Gerard Spencer, the known baptisms of her Spencer children, and the fact that two of them, William and Thomas received legacies in Eleanor's will, one of them being her godson, make it certain that Alice belongs in the family of John and Eleanor Whitbread. Furthermore, William Whitbred and Gerrard Spencer sold to John Whitbread 11 messuages, 1 pigeon house, 11gardens, 11 orchards, 200 acres arable, 200 acres meadow, and 60 acres pasture, in Shillington, Over Gravenest, Nether Gravenest, Flitton, Silsoe, Elstoe, Kempston, and Stotfolde, Easter, 9 James I (1611). (Feet of Fines for Beds. P.R.O., CP. 25 (2) 270.)
In listing the children, we have assumed that the Whitbreads baptized at Upper Gravenhurst between 1571 and 1591 belonged to John and Eleanor. However, the register at that period fails to state the parents of children christened, and the assumption may not be entirely correct, since it is possible that Henry Whitbread (No.4 of the First Line) may have lived in this parish during part of that period. Of the children listed below, William, Henry, Alice and John are considered positively proved as belonging to John. The others seem likely. Judith had not long been married when Eleanor made her will and probably had no children by then to be remembered as godchildren; and the name Judith appears in the family in the next generation (see 5, iv, below.) In additon to those listed, a Thomas buried 6 June 1585 and an Ellen buried 11 June 1585 may have been young children of John.
With the above caution, the children, probably all born in Upper Gravenhurst, were:
i. Elizabeth (3), bapt. 28 Sept. 1571; no further record.
ii. William, b: (say ca. 1573); m. Elizabeth (unknown).
iii. Henry, bapt. 9 Jan 1575/6; m. Elizabeth Leventhorpe
iv. Alice, b. (say ca.1578) m. 10 Nov 1600, Gerard Spencer (supra, 27:84). Four ofher sons came to New England and all left decendants.
v. Francis, bapt. 30 Apr 1581; no further record.
vi. John, bapt. 8 Nov 1584; m. Mary Newman
vii. Judith, bapt. 6 June 1591; m. 23 July 1626, Richard Poulter."
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Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy
Abt 1578 - 