♂William Borden

William Borden (about 1510 – before 8 June 1557) was a man of Headcorn, in Kent, England, and the great-grandfather of Richard Borden (1595–1671), who left Headcorn for New England and settled at Portsmouth, Rhode Island. William was the twelfth great-grandfather of Frederic Roger Curtis (1928–2007) by two separate lines of descent, both through his son Thomas Borden (1533–1592).

Life

William was probably born about 1510, the son of Edmund Borden and his wife Margaret. He married a woman named Joan, whose surname is not known. William and Joan had eight children, born between about 1533 and 1548: Thomas, Edward, John, Stephen, Elizabeth, Thamasine, Ann and Edmund.

William died before 8 June 1557, the day his undated will is said to have been proved. Joan outlived him and is reported to have been still living on 28 January 1559/60.

Lines of descent

Both lines run through his son Thomas Borden (1533–1592), Thomas’s son Matthew Borden (1563–1620), Matthew’s son Richard Borden (1595–1671) and Richard’s daughter Mary Borden. They divide in later generations and meet again in Salena Sherman (1806–1842), whose parents Waite Allen (1766–1850) and Batchelder Sherman (1761–1828) both descend from William.

Notes

Sources

William’s family rests on G. Andrews Moriarty’s pedigree “The Bordens of Headcorn, Co. Kent”, in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register 84 (1930). On page 226 it gives his undated will, proved on 8 June 1557, and names Joan as living on 28 January 1559/60. His parentage, his birth about 1510 and his children come from the same work; the birth years are estimates. The marriage, about 1530–35, came before English parishes began keeping registers in 1538, so no marriage entry survives to fix its date. The January year is Old Style^W, when the year began on 25 March.