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Gaylord

Family Organization

The Gaylord Family Organization was founded in 1975 while I was stationed in Guam. At that time I had put together two notebooks of family groups sheets. Information for these was obtain from a mimeographed copy of "The History and Pedigree of the House of Gaillard or Gaylord in France, England and the United States." These notebooks were on loan, via mail, for approximately two weeks and then were passed to others. These researchers would look for information on their families and insert in information that was missing, or correct those that had errors.

Today I have over 23,000 names of descendants of William Gaylord (1585-1673), male and female, along with parents and ancestry of some of the spouses. The Organization now does an exchange of information, as the notebooks have become obsolete due to access to computers.

Now we have the Internet and can exchange information more quickly with access to E-mail and online databases. The Organization is always on the lookout for new information (i.e. copies of birth, death, marriage, land, bible [title and vital record pages], pictures, etc.) to add to the present database.

The following information on William Gaylord and descendants is a compilation of various sources and correct as I believe can be. If you have information that does not agree, please provide a copy of your source(s) and what you do not agree with.

The INDEX is now complete with the pages that are on the website. If you find any errors with spelling, dates, etc. please let me know.

William Gaylord (supposedly a native of Execter, in the county of Devonshire, England) is said to have emigrated to New England with his brother, John Gaylord, in the Spring of 1630. It is thought he came over on the ship "Mary and John," which arrived at Nantasket, near Dorchester Neck, Boston Bay, Massachusetts, 30 May 1630. Mr. Burton Spear of "The Mary & John Clearing House" has a series of books titled "Search for the Passengers of the Mary & John, 1630." In Volume 1 he has detailed a synthetic passenger list from various sources and why they were or were not a passenger on the Mary & John. As to John Gaylord, nothing has been found as to whether he died shortly after arriving or went directly back to England.

Present evidence indicates that the parents and wives of William are still unknown. Exactly where William was from and where he was prior to coming to New England is still unknown. John I Coddington in "Clues to the English Home of William Gaylord, of Dorchester, MA., and Windsor, CT." in The American Genealogist, Volume 17, said William was in Crewkerne at least from 1619 through 1624, as three of his sons were baptized there (Samuel, John and Joseph). Where he was prior to 1619 and after 1624 is still a puzzle.

Mr. Coddington says that the will of Joan Patten showed a definite connection of William to Crewkerne. Joan was buried at Crewkerne 29 April 1634, and made bequests to everyone of her brothers, to her sister Sarah and the latter's children, to her sister Elizabeth and her sister Marie, and "to William Gaylard in New England, 5 (pounds), to be bestowed for him as my executor shall think fit." The will did not show the relationship between Joan and William.

Some researchers think William, the emigrant, was the one who married Jone Ashwood 11 June 1610. Mr. Coddington believes it is nevertheless impossible to tell whether this record refers to this William or not. There are sources that state that William married second a Sarah or Mary Walters after Jone died 20 June 1657 in Windsor, CT. One researcher said that this Mary was an incorrect reading of the gravestone, that this was the wife of Walter Gaylord.

Children of William Gaylord:

1. Elizabeth, b. ca 1614

2. William, b. ca 1616

3. Samuel, bapt. 19 December 1619 Crewkerne, England

4. John, bapt. 24 February 1621/2 Crewkerne, England

5. Walter, b. ca 1622

6. Joseph, bapt. 27 December 1624 Crewkerne, England, probably died young in England. One source has him d. 16 May 1667 Windsor, CT.

E-Mail: Gaylord Family Organization