Sarah Edwards

F, b. circa 1637
     Sarah was born circa 1637 in Wenham, Essex County, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Rice Edwards. She first married Nathaniel Piper of Wenham who died in 1676. Sarah married 2nd Ezekiel Woodward, son of Nathaniel Woodward and Margaret Lawrence, in the spring of 1679 in Wenham, Essex County, Massachusetts.1,2,3,4,5 Sarah departed this life in Wenham, Essex County, Massachusetts. 29 Jan 1698.

Family

Ezekiel Woodward b. b 8 May 1625

Citations

  1. [S115] Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, Showing Three Generations Of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, On The Basis Of Farmer's Registar, Volume III: page 440 - Nathaniel Piper - Will 7 March 1676 names wife Sarah & his children.
  2. [S1132] Fred S. Piper, Nathaniel Piper of Ipswich, Massachusetts and Some of His Descendants, page 1 - He [Nathaniel Piper] married Sarah ___, who married 2ndly, Ezekiel Woodward, and was living in April 1696.
  3. [S7] Esq., of Washington, D.C. Herbert F. Smith, John Strickland of Long Island and His Sons-In-Law, Nathaniel Piper & Sarah Edwards[?], daughter of Rice; she married 2nd Ezekiel Wood.
  4. [S1134] Doreen Potter Hanna, Potter-Richardson Memorial: The Ancstrial Lines of William W. Potter of Michigan & His Wife Margaret [Richardson] Potter

    , page 672 - … in 1678 Ezekiel was married thirdly* to Sarah (Knowlton ?) Piper, widow of Nathaniel' of Wenham, above mentioned, and thereby hangs a tale,'4 for she had been receiving attentions from one John Poland and may even have been engaged to marry him. After her marriage to Ezekiel, certain men taunted Poland with having "lost his widow," asked how "Woodward got along with his new wife" etc. In order to "save his face" Poland began to peddle lies and on June 20, 1679, Ezekiel brought suit against Poland for defamation, for slandering him and his wife. The case came to trial in September, 1679, and witnesses testified that Poland had said the widow had a poor bargain with Ezekiel and she repented of it; that Ezekiel did not deserve her, and her friends wondered that she left Poland. Then Poland became intrigued with his subject and claimed that the widow's brother Knowlton "sayd to me yt shee came To him slaubering & crying & sayd yt she was undonne by maring Woodward: & That shee was very much Troubled That she had wronged me: yt is poland & That she was not able To see me but watterd hir plants at The meetting at the very sight of me & did grately bemone hurself That shee should offer so much wrong To polend & That I derst not goe To The meetting at wenhem for every Time she see mee she is nott able to bare it but is ready for To swound away.//14
    A verdict was rendered in favor of Ezekiel and Poland was ordered to make acknowledgment of his fault so at this same court he "made open confession in
    court that he had done wrong to widow Piper, now the wife of Ezekiel Woodward, in speaking the words to which the witnesses testified, and was sorry for it, desiring
    the court and them to forgive him"" - which seems an easy way out for him!
  5. [S2297] Doris J Woodward & Patricia Law Hatcher, the English Origin of Nathaniel Woodward, page 167.