​Returned to America (Vermont) from Canada with all but one of his siblings after the death of his father. Became a deacon.

"For they that have used the office of a Deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus." — 1 Timothy 3:13, inscribed on his gravestone

​British Loyalist. Fled after Revolution. Received NB land grant as reward.

His brother Zadoc was also a Loyalist, but though his property was forfeited he was able to stay. His brothers John, Reuben, and Christopher, on the other hand, sided with the Revolution.

​She evacuated with her husband to British-held Long Island, but did not live to see the end of the war and her family's expulsion to Canada.

​His son John built the famous John Rider House.

My male-line descent from John has been basically disproven by DNA evidence. I might still be a descendant of Mary, but the sum of evidence makes this unlikely; indeed, I am probably not descended (in the male line) even from Nathan °004.

​John, his wife, three of their children, two of their daughters-in-law, and nine of their grandchildren died in a 1766 smallpox epidemic. One of their grandchildren who survived, Knowles Godfrey, was an ancestor of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

​Twin sister Mercy.

​Her name is given as Ann in Rider (1959), but other genealogists have failed to confirm this. See Hollick (2005).

​Maiden name doubtful.

​His brother Silas is an ancestor of the co-founder of Sears, Roebuck, & Co.

​There are doubts about her maiden name and whether she is really the d/o George Willard.

​Blind in one eye due to an arrow.

From Wrentham?

​More work needed here as the various Tamsen/Thomasines may be mixed up.

​Suspected to be a sister of °12052, maiden name Hobart.

​The year of Samuel's migration may be nailed down fairly plausibly to 1638. While his son John was baptised in England late 1636, Rider (1967) provides evidence Samuel was in England "as late as December 1637". Meanwhile, his son Zachariah, born in Yarmouth, is said to have been born "about 1638" (Hollick 2005). Hollick also asserts Samuel was at Yarmouth "by 1638" and made a freeman there 1638/9 Jan 07, although MD (1909) denies this interpretation.

​Her name is variously transcribed from the baptismal record as Gamlett, Gambett, Gantlett, and this. Gauntlett seems most reasonable.

Based on the dates supra, she may have been pregnant with Zachariah for her trans-Atlantic voyage.

​Often assigned the maiden name Yelverton, on the grounds that John's oldest son was named Yelverton Crowe. This is not convincing for at least three reasons: (1) The Yelverton name could have come from any number of relatives, such as John's mother. (2) Although Yelverton is probably John's son, some have suggested he is his brother, introducing more doubt. (3) Elishua may not be the mother of John's oldest two children.

​Richard's parents remain unknown, although he has been the subject of considerable genealogical invention. (See, e.g., notes in Anderson 1995.)

May (1890) gives his burial date as Aug 26, which can't be right if the death date is; Anderson (1995) cites Yarmouth VR for the latter.

​May (1890) is not sure that Richard's widow Dorothy is the mother of his children, but Anderson (1995) implies it and the Sears Family Association notes that her nephew refers to six cousins in his will, which would appear to be accounted for only by including Richard's children (although this would not necessarily exclude step-relations).

​His baptismal record in England may have been found. Look into.

​Her maiden name is conjectural at this point; indeed, it is not certain that Pandora is Jonathan's mother, although it is likely.

​This was his widow, but was she the mother of his children? Some say no.

​Further work needed here, as this woman may be confused with °00314 above, or may be the same person.

​Often erroneously stated to be the daughter of "Faith Gratwick", who never existed, or is rather confused with Faith Moorer, who was not her mother but her step-mother. (Bush 2010)

​Deacon.

Ward (1996) suggests Richard was his father based on his residence and mention of a son John who had moved away in his will.

​Some sources seek to "anglicize" her name as Barlow (e.g., Anderson 1995, who should know better), but as Ward (1996) points out, this is unjustified, and Ballou is a proper English name.

Claims that she was of French origin are without merit and based on a chance similarity of names.

​This represents the end of my documented (but not actual) patrilineal line.

While it is reasonable to identify the "John Rydar" baptised in 1582 as the person who married "Helen Smyth", the baptismal record does not name either of John's parents. With current information, I see at least three hypotheses about his parents:

* William and Alice (England), who married 1577 Oct 07 in Newport Pagnell. This is proposed as a possibility in Rider (1967). Many Internet sources blindly repeat it as though fact. The close date of the marriage is the only evidence I have seen for this theory.

* Richard and Agnes (Buttrys), who married 1564 Oct 23 in Newport Pagnell. A child in 1582 would still be reasonable, and an Agnes Ryder, son of John, was baptised 1608 Nov 27 in Newport Pagnell, so perhaps he named his daughter after his mother.

* Robert, who had documented children baptised in 1579 and 1580, so that another in 1582 would fit.

Newport Pagnell's parish registers begin in late 1558, and earlier information is quite sparse. Ryders are recorded in the town as early as 1433 (John Ryder Sr., as a witness to a deed), so it appears this family had a history there for several generations prior to this one. Whether this history will ever be unveiled is another matter.

​Rider (1967) provides many documents listing members of Helen's family, but it is not clear what the relationships between them are. Further documents (or inference) may tease these apart.

​It seems fairly certain he predeceased his last wife, although only barely, which narrows his date of death down to about 10 days. The main evidence is that his wife filed a will, although it does not appear to survive.

His son (by Margery) Simon Willard was a founder of Concord, MA.

​Evidence she was Benjamin's widow: Richard named a Francis Morebread, son of Joane, in his will. Such a Francis was baptised as son of Benjamin in Horsmonden 1596 Aug 02 (no mother named). Joane was called "Widow Joane Morbread", suggesting this was not her maiden name, as does Francis's surname. So the Joane Morbread baptised 1589/90 Mar 07 is likely a different person.

​I am here accepting the arguments of Neal (2012) concerning Mary's maiden name and ancestry.

The unusual dual surnames were borne for several generations.

​Much speculation has gone into her maiden name and her origins, but nothing definitive, or even very probable, has been established.

​Had a brother named George.

Claimed in various sources to be the daughter of George Coles and Alice Sargent, thus hooking into the Sargent and Gifford families. However, this is chronologically unreasonable; George and Alice married 1597 Oct 06, after the birth of their supposed grandson Edmund °00344.

​His wife is sometimes identified as "Ann", but this seems to be confusion with another of his daughters (although his wife might be named Ann all the same).

​More evidence Elizabeth was mother?

​That this burial is his is not certain, but likely.

​Some doubt about her maiden name. (Bush 2010)

​This Willard line comes from a 1915 investigation, and could probably be worked on and improved, as well as perhaps connected to the larger Willard family. But too many doubts plague my line to him for this to be worthwhile.

​According to work by Greenstreet cited by Bush (2010), his father's name was also John, but Bush could not find evidence for this.

His widow was named Anne, who may be the mother of his son John.

​"Possibly the son of Thomas Kent [Sr.] of Hursley", who in turn "may have been the son of John Kent, chandler" (Neal 2012).