A court record in the beginning of 1680 says Rice was 65, which suggests he would turn 66 sometime in that year.(1) An agreement was made between Rice and his son Benjamin on 18 April 1681. An agreement among Rice's heirs was made on 15 April 1683, indicating he died between these dates. He had settled in Wenham, MA. Clearly a Welshman or of Welsh decent, it can be assumed his name was Anglicized from Rhys.
children of Rice Edwards:(2)
John b. abt. 1646
Thomas b. abt 1652
Elizabeth
Bethiah
Mary
Benjamin b. abt 1662
Martha
Sarah
1. New England Historical & Genealogical Register, vol. 56 (Jan. 1902), pp. 60-62.
2. The children are listed in the order used in an heirs agreement (see note #1). That type of record traditionally lists children in order of birth. There are baptism records in the published Wenham vital records (no parents names given) that are ascribed to same-named children of John and Mary. Martha would not necessarily have been baptized as a baby. The two birth dates are from Early Records of the Town of Beverly. Mary (Solart) Edwards was alive when an heirs petition was made in reference to her father's estate in 1682. This means she was the mother of most of the children listed, perhaps not the last few.
all text and photographs © 1998-2005 by Doug Sinclair unless where otherwise noted