PUFFER, Rachel

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• _COLOR: 11

Notes:

(Ed. Note: It is supposed she is a daughter of George, but no proof exists)

"JONATHAN BLISS (1626-1687) was the son of Thomas and Dorothy (Wheatlie) Bliss of Braintree and Rehoboth, Mass. The oft-repeated claim that his wife was MIRIAM HARMON is false. She was, in fact, neither a Miriam nor a Harmon; there is no record of a Miriam Harmon in New England during this period. Jonathan Bliss's wife was almost certainly a daughter of George PUFFER of Braintree, Mass., probably named RACHEL. For a complete discussion of the factors that led to this misidentification and the evidence supporting its correction, see NEHGR 151(1997):32-37."

FindaGrave:
GRID=34283390

Rachel married BLISS, Jonathan in CA 1648 in Rehoboth, MA. Jonathan (son of BLISS, Thomas and HULINS (HULINGES), Margaret) was born on 11 Mar 1626 in Daventry, Northamptonshire, England; was christened on 2 Apr 1626 in Daventry, Northamptonshire, England; died on 11 Jun 1687 in Rehoboth, MA; was buried on 11 Jun 1687 in Rehoboth, MA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
It is assumed that she came over from England with her family ca 1635-1639. Some trees have her married in England to Jonathan Bliss, ca 1648, however she was in MA, by that time.

1. BLISS, Bethia was born in Aug 1671 in Rehoboth, MA; died on 27 Feb 1703 in Rehoboth, MA; was buried in East Providence, RI.
2. BLISS, Elizabeth was born on 29 Jan 1657 in Rehoboth, MA; died on 19 Jul 1723 in Rehoboth, MA.

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• Ref#: 1
• _COLOR: 3
• Arrival: 1639, MA

Notes:

The first of the family in this country, and the pioneer ancestor, lived but a few years after coming to New England, and we know very little about him. He was one of the residents of Boston to whom land was granted at Mount Wollaston, which was afterwards the town of Braintree, now the city of Quincy. The record shows that he was granted twenty acres and that there were five in his family, indicating that he had three children. February 24, 1639. His homestead was located about two miles east of the railroad station of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (formerly the Old Colony Railroad) at Quincy. It is the site of the present Fore River shipyards. In the early records the name is often spelled Poffer. The Widow Puffer died at Braintree, February 18, 1676. He was born as early as 1600, died at Braintree, Sept. 27, 1639, (See Pother in records.) (J.W. Porter, Bangor, Me., 1882.)

(ED NOTE: I can find no listing of him or his supposed wife (Elizabeth Sedley) or her family on any manifests of ships arriving in the general area of Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1620-1640. Since he was married in the Massachusetts Colony and his son Matthias was born in 1635 there, it is assumed he arrived before that time. One possibility is that he came over in the "Higginson Fleet" so called, ca 1629. Some 350 men, women and children arrived in that fleet, but I am unable to find lists of passengers at this date 5/6/13.)

(Ed. Note: A cousin has, supposedly, found the ship that George and his family came over on. "The Recovery" of London, 1633/34. It sailed from London and arrived in Dorchester, MA. Captain Gabriel Cornish. There is a "George Puffer" listed in the The Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants to New England, 1620-1650 on page 233. However, there is no further information about him. 12/21/17 DMC)

There is no evidence whatsoever that George was married to Elizabeth Sedley. I include her here as a possibility, not a certainty.

He had sons James and Matthias. The records show that Matthias married Rachel Farnsworth. According to the Farnsworth genealogy and public records, Ruth Farnsworth, born June 3, 1642, married William Puffer. In his account of the Puffer family, Mr. Appleton, finds no further trace of William Puffer, and the compiler of this work has also failed. A Thomas Puttne of R.I. died in Wrentham, July 11, 1702. This name was printed "Puffer" in the Register, owning to an error in transcribing. Mary Puffer, who died at Braintree, July 22, 1700, was probably the widow of James. It may still be questioned whether George had a son William.

George married Elizabeth. Elizabeth (daughter of SEDLEY, James and Sarah) was born in CA 1620 in Weymouth, MA; died on 18 Feb 1676 in Braintree, MA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• Name: Elizabeth Sedley
• _COLOR: 6

Notes:

It is unproven if Elizabeth Sedley was the wife of George Puffer. Some modern genealogies put her here and I have included her just on that possibility. There is some speculation that her husband George may have been an indentured servant of her father, James Sedley. Again, there is no historical proof that this is so. In fact, there are no records at all of any Sedley's arriving in the colonies from 1620-1640.
We do know that the wife of George Puffer "died at Braintree, February 18, 1676". DMC

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• _COLOR: 3

James married Sarah about 1604. Sarah was born in 1583 in Weymouth, MA; died in Weymouth, MA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• _COLOR: 3