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Several Whitecotton researchers have posted on Rootsweb, Ancestry.com and Familysearch.com that JOHN COTTON b May 14, 1615 Frithelstock, Devon, England, who allegedly married ANN WHITE (legendary progenitors of the WHITECOTTON surname) was the son of EDWARD COTTON b 1586 Devon, England & MARGARET PETRE who were married Feb 2, 1613 at St Peter's Cathedral, Exeter, Devon, England.
After further research, it appears that this is entirely incorrect, as there are several significant problems with this information.
On Feb 2, 1613 St Peter's Cathedral, Exeter, Devon, England, Rev EDWARD COTTON, Archdeacon of Totnes, Devon England married MARGARET BRUTON (also spelled BREWTON or BRETON), who was the widow of WILLIAM PETER (NOT PETRE).
MARGARET was the daughter of WILLIAM BRUTON & ELIZABETH RYDER of Havetree (sp?) Devon, England (I am related to the Brutons as well as the Whitecottons and stumbled across Margaret Bruton & Rev Edward Cotton while searching for Bruton ancestors in England).
Rev EDWARD COTTON b 1586, Archdeacon of Totnes, was the son of WILLIAM COTTON, b abt 1560, Bishop of Exeter, and MARIA CUTLER. Father & son are both historical figures and easily researched. Lots of books available on Google books and Ancestry.com
The birthplace researchers noted for JOHN COTTON b May 4, 1615 i.e. Frithelstock, Devon England, is problematic in that at the time of his marriage Rev EDWARD COTTON was Archdeacon of Totnes, Devon England, and the two places are no where near each other. Archdeacon was a position of high authority in the Catholic church, and there is no indication in the history books & other sources that I could find that Rev EDWARD COTTON ever left Totnes before 1615 or assumed a position in Frithelstock.
Children of Rev EDWARD COTTON & MARGARET BRUTON PETER as per book "Devon, England Visitation 1620" were:
Edward Cotton died age 9 months
William Cotton died age 3, in 1621
Maria Cotton
Margaret Cotton
Elizabeth Cotton
No source that I consulted ever mentioned a son JOHN COTTON b 1615 who emigrated to Virginia.
Another point worth noting ( which seems to have been completely overlooked by other researchers) is the fact that this particular COTTON family was devoutly Catholic. If JOHN COTTON had been Rev EDWARD COTTON's son, he and his wife ANN WHITE would not have been welcome in the Virginia Colonies, which was strictly Protestant, i.e. Church of England. Remember--separation of church & state in Virginia did not occur until after the Revolutionary War.
If there was indeed a connection between JOHN COTTON and Rev EDWARD COTTON, then it is far more likely that JOHN COTTON & ANN WHITE would have emigrated to Maryland, where Catholics from England were encouraged to settle. In fact, the Maryland Toleration Act of 1649 was on of the first laws in the colonies ensuring religious freedom (as long as it was Christian).
However,there are no Catholics in subsequent generations of Whitecottons in VA that I have ever found.
Your comments appreciated. Yours, Betty Tartas
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