Jacob & Eliz. (Tufts) Hurd
I am seeking the parentage of one Peter Hurd, born about 1700.While I have no proof, I am inclined to believe that he is in fact the first born child of Jacob Hurd and Elizabeth Tufts, birth not recorded.The date of 1697, which may be correct, is ascribed for this marriage...but I have seen no evidence to support this date.Nor has, to my knowledge, anyone uncovered a record of this marriage in order to support when and where it took place.The first records we have of this couple are the birth of a bunch of children recorded in Charlestown beginning in April 1699.
The first such recorded child of Jacob and Elizabeth is named for Elizabeth and her mother.The second is named for Jacob's mother.The third is named for Jacob and his father.The fourth through ninth, including another male child, are named for others in the family.There are none named for Elizabeth's father Peter, which seems highly unlikely.I suspect that the firstborn was Peter, born perhaps late 1697 or early 1698 wherever the couple lived when their undiscovered marriage took place.I find no other members of the Hurd family of Boston up to that time with the given name "Peter."
We know that a Peter Hurd "owned the Covenant and was baptized" as an adult (and thus born no later than 1700) at the First Church in Cambridge on December 24, 1721.We know that Peter Hurd, presumably the same one, was admitted to Full Communion at this church on June 9, 1723.We also know that a number of members of the Tufts family were members of this church - see enclosed index of the published church records.
We know from Watertown V.R. that Peter Hurd married Sarah Eddy there on June 11, 1730, and we know from Daniels' History of Oxford that this Peter Hurd of Cambridge bought a farm in Oxford in 1733.And finally we know that Peter and Sarah Hurd of Oxford had a son Peter, their first-born child, born there on May 2, 1735, and that Peter Hurd’s son Peter was baptized at the First Church in Cambridge on May 5, 1735.
The birth date of Peter Hurd of Oxford is sometimes given as 1705, but as far as I can determine this is simply an approximation, since there is no record that I know of regarding his birth.There is a record of Sarah Eddy's birth in 1700, so it seems quite likely that Peter would have been born in 1696 or 1697.
John Cook
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Re: Jacob & Eliz. (Tufts) Hurd
11/28/00