Questions about Deacon Edward Convers (1588/9–1663)

From the web site of Carolyn Converse Cooper:

We know a lot about Edward, the head of the first Converse family in America, but there are still some questions about his life in England as well as in New England. Here are a few possible answers:

Was he born in 1588 or 1589?  

It is usually recorded that Edward was baptized on March 23, 1588/89, presumably soon after his birth [1,2]. The calendar was changed in Europe from the Julian version (named after Julius Caesar) to the Gregorian version (Pope Gregory) in 1582 because the former calendar was getting increasingly out of step with the seasons. 10 days had to be subtracted to get it back in line. Also, it was decided to start the year in January instead of the end of March as previously. This meant that events which took place from January to March would be moved from the previous year to the next one. However, England and its colonies did not initially go along with this, because it had been proposed by the Roman Catholic Church. In 1752 England and its colonies finally moved to the Gregorian calendar – the calendar we use today. Since Edward was baptized March 23, 1588 (Julian calendar), this becomes March 13, 1589 (Gregorian calendar). He died August 10, 1663 but since that was after March of that year, it is left as 1663. Thus, his lifespan was 1589-1663 and he was 74 when he died.

How many wives did he have? 

“The Winthrop Fleet” [3] says two: Sarah Parker [4], the mother of all his children, and late in life, Joanna Sprague. But the first three of his children – Josiah, James, Mary – were all born in England ca. 1618-1625 [5]. Consequently, there is a significant gap between the births of Mary (about 1625) and Samuel, born in Woburn, Massachusetts Bay Colony and baptized 12 March, 1637/8. This has led to speculation that, although all these children are credited with having a mother “Sarah”, the first wife Sarah Parker had died young and he subsequently married another Sarah. Although this gap has been discounted by some as insufficient evidence for another wife, there is a burial record for Sarah, wife to Edward Convers, buried June 13, 1625 in the Essex Parish records [6]. This is also mentioned in Torrey’s book [7], and in Hal Whitmore’s Converse family tree [8]. Mary is believed to have been born in 1625: possibly her mother Sarah Parker died giving birth to Mary. Read more