♀Mary Bird

Mary Bird (died 1 April 1679) was a widow who married at Billerica in the Massachusetts Bay Colony^W, becoming the third wife of Henry Jefts (1606–1700) in 1666. Henry Jefts was the eighth great-grandfather of Nancy Jane Blanchard (1929–2006), through his daughter Hannah Jefts (1654/55–1729/30), who was Mary’s stepdaughter.

Marriage to Henry Jefts

Mary married Henry Jefts at Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts, on 3 October 1666, and the town’s record enters her as “Mary Bird, wid.” Henry had buried his second wife, Hannah, in September 1662. His four surviving children by her had been born between 1651 and 1659, among them Hannah, the future ancestor, who was then about eleven. Her maiden name and her parents are not known.

Death

Mary died at Billerica on 1 April 1679, twelve and a half years after the wedding. The town entered her death as “Mary, w. Henry”. No children are recorded for her. Henry married a fourth wife, Mary Baker, a widow of Concord, on 5 May 1681. The line to Nancy Jane runs through Henry’s daughter Hannah, not through Mary.

Notes

Her name

The Billerica vital records give her only as “Bird, Mary, wid.” Bird is the surname she bore as a widow; her maiden name is unknown.