Michael Shaflin was a tailor from Salisbury, Wiltshire, England who came to America on board the ship "James" in 1635. He settled first in Charlestown, Massachusetts and was in Salem by 1636. He was constable in Salem in 1645. He was married first to an Elizabeth, and then to Alice Temple, the widow of George Booth. The Booths had two daughters, Alice and Elizabeth, who testified against their neighbors (John Willard, Elizabeth and John Proctor, and Giles Corey) during the witchtrials of 1692. There was a Lawrence Shaflin in the court records, but I cannot place him in this family due to the lack of records.
He made this depostion in 1685:
Deposition of Michael Shaflin, aged about 80 years
"I this deponent doe testifie & saye yt about 33 years agoe, when William King was wooinge of my daughtr Katherine, to her her to wife and I understanding that his mother Doritha King widdow & relict unto William King Senr had a claime of two shillings p weeke for some tyme of her son William, whereupon I made a demurr In giving my consent to the matche. And the sd Doritha seeing how it was & how resolved wth mee, did freely aquit & discharge her sd son William King of ye sd dew of two shillings p weeke as aforesd apon weh I gave my consent for ye sd William King to marry wth my sd daughtr July ye 1st 1685 before ye Court at Salem" [Essex County Registry of Deeds and Probate]
He is often listed in court records and lived near several known Quaker families: King, Stone, etc. but it is unknown if he was an early Quaker. On 1 July 1646 he was presented to court for withdrawing a child from baptism. His will in 1686 names his daughters Katherine King and Sarah Stone, and also names his wife Alice.
My Shaflin lineage:
Generation 1: Michael Shaflin, born about 1605 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England and died 12 December 1686 in Salem, Massachusetts; married first Elizabeth Unknown; married second after 1682 to Alice Temple, widow of George Booth. Two known daughters (the name Shaflin doesn't appear in other records in New England, except for the mysterious Lawrence Shaflin mentioned above):
1. Sarah Shaflin (see below)
2. Katherine Shaflin, died 17 December 1718; married William King
Generation 2: Sarah Shaflin, died 22 August 1708 in Salem,; married Robert Stone. Four children.
Generation 3: Samuel Stone married Mary Treadwell
Generation 4: Mary Stone married Isaac Wilson
Generation 5. Robert Wilson married Elizabeth Southwick
Generation 6. Robert Wilson married Sarah Felton
Generation 7. Robert Wilson married Mary Southwick
Generation 8. Mercy F. Wilson married Aaron Wilkinson
Generation 9. Robert Wilson Wilkinson married Phebe Cross Munroe
Generation 10. Albert Munroe Wilkinson married Isabella Lyons Bill
Generation 11. Donald Munroe Wilkinson married Bertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)
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For more information:
The Genealogical Dictionary of New England, by James Savage, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969, page 58 for a sketch on Michael Shaflin.
History of Salem, by Sidney Perley, Salem, Volume III, p. 73 and other mentions
New England Marriages Prior to 1700, by Clarence Almon Torrey, Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011, Volume II, page 1354
Passenger list of the ship "James" http://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/james1.htm
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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo
Lovely details, Heather - and thanks for the reminders of the historical sources used. I love the way the potential mother-in-law forgave her son's debt so he could marry! A very important decision on her part - hopefully the couple continued to help her -?
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to get Torrey's volumes!
ReplyDelete