Re: Major John Robert Greene
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In reply to:
Major John Robert Greene
james greene 6/19/12
Jim,
I began researching my Rhode Island Greene ancestry over 40 years ago. In the process, I discovered that there was a lot of mis-information published about all three of the John Greenes who immigrated to RI in the mid-1600s. With the advent of the internet, these faulty genealogies have proliferated like viruses.
There are two John Greenes in Rhode Island who are said to have been born in 1651. I don't believe either carried the title Major and neither had a middle name. Middle names did not come into use for at least another 100 years.
John Greene of Warwick (surgeon) had a grandson whose birth on 6 June 1651 was recorded in the Warwick records. He was the son of Major John and Anne (Almy) Greene. This John Greene born June 1651 died without heirs. So he did not have any children and there are no descendants.
The other John Greene whose birth is said to have been in 1650-51 (based on the age he gave in his will written in 1729 when he said he was in his 79th year) was the third John Greene to immigrate to RI. He married Abigail Wardwell. He is identified as John Greene of East Greenwich and Coventry. He is often said to be (but is not) Lieut John Greene, Jr, based on a mis-reading of the East Greenwich records.
The Lieut John Greene named in the East Greenwich records was identified as "Lieut John Greene of New Port" whereas the John Greene who actually lived in East Greenwich at the time was identified by the clerk simply as John Greene. The latter John Greene was the husband of Abigail and had the births of his three oldest children recorded in East Greenwich and subsequently moved to Coventry.
The Lieut John Greene of New Port is not identified in the East Greenwich records as John Greene Jr, because his father had recently died. But John Greene Jr and his father John Greene (of Quidnesset) were participants in the Fones' Purchase that resulted in the establishment of East Greenwich. As participants they were entitled to land in East Greenwich. Lieut John Greene of New Port was perfecting his rights to this land in East Greenwich in 1685 following the death of his father.
The middle name "Robert" has been attributed to an undated typescript genealogy by Frederick Rathbun Townroe. Townroe suggested that John was named John Robert in honor of his grandfather whom Townroe believed was Robert Greene of England. But there is no evidence as to the origin or parentage of the John Greene who married Abigail Wardwell.
DNA test results thus far show that none of the three John Greene immigrants have a recent common ancestor. As I have said the three Johns are: John of Warwick, John of Quidnesset, and the John of East Greenwich and Coventry who married Abigail.
DNA tests of supposed descendants of John of EG and Cov are not as conclusive as the tests of descendants of the other two Johns. The reason is that none of the three men with matching test results have a proven line back to John of EG and Cov.
If you have an unbroken line of descent from one of the three Johns, I encourage you to consider DNA testing. I have comparative test results from 16 matching tests on descendants of John of Q, 3 matching tests from desc of John of Warwick, and 3 from John of EG&Cov, plus 3 others who claim RI descent but do not match anyone else.
If you have any questions, I will be happy to try and answer them. Here is a my webpage showing the conflicting published information on John Greene Jr. Since writing that page, I have read the East Greenwich records and agree with Mrs Bates conclusions which now has further support from DNA evidence which was not available 95 years ago.
http://users.hal-pc.org/~wmewrght/greenjr.htmlhttp://users.hal-pc.org/~wmewrght/greenjr.html
Bill Wright
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