So much misinformation floating the internet about the origins of Francis West of Duxbury. So many websites detailing his life as the son of Capt. Francis West, the future deputy governor of Virginia Colony and a descendant of royalty. Couldn't be further from the truth. On so many levels. It's been explained before, so I won't go into it here, but suffice to say that modern DNA testing has put an end to it. Well, an end to the sceptics, but not the propagators. I continue to see family trees on Ancestry.com with full West lines back to Francis West of Duxbury and then on to Capt. Francis and then the royal De La Warr line. And it's not the end of the world. And mostly funny. In that I think people really want to be connected to royalty. They want that moment over dinner. Phil: "Hey sugarplum, guess what I found today on that internet?" Sallyann: "What, honeypie?" Phil: "We been descended from royal-tee!" Sallyann: "You don't say?!" Phil: "Yep." Sallyann: "Oh that's nice. I'm gonna get my hair done up. Pass the string beans."
Francis West marries Margery Reeves in early 1639 in Duxbury. She is said to be from England, the Isle of Wright specifically. But there's no proof. Early writings about her say she may have come over as a servant of some family, as an unattached woman in the Colony would be unheard of. Additionally, in one writing, Carlton Prince West goes on to say, "no Reeves family, including the possible variants of Reaves and Rives, has been found in the area of southeastern Massachusetts." So she cannot be placed. But I'm confused. It's clear there is another Reaves family (different spelling) living very close by to our Francis and Margery. Not only that, but this other Reaves family has a daughter named Mary Margaret Reaves that marries James Skiffe in 1637 in Sandwich, Plymouth Colony. Though I guess this is suspect too, as Sandwich doesn't appear to be settled until 1639. But what's a few years in early American history? So this James ...
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