Who was William Ives' Wife?: Part Nine

Conclusion

There is no record of a response or resolution in Frank Bassett's notes. It may also be that the term “brother” is used in an informal family way since William Bassett’s son had married Abraham Dickerman’s daughter only two years before he wrote his will. The use of the term “brother” in a community way was common and even Goodwife Ives was called “Sister Ives” in the seating chart for the 1646 New Haven town meeting (51). There was also some contemporary concern over the work of Frank Bassett (52).

We often deal with imperfect and incomplete evidence, especially in documenting the early female settlers in New England. In the absence of a name for the wife of William Bassett and William Ives, the circumstantial evidence might nominate a daughter of Thomas Dickerman named Hannah, born in 1622. This apparent guess was carried forward and gained momentum in the absence of an alternative. However, it seems from this investigation that there is more reason to doubt, than believe, in her existence as either the daughter of the first Thomas Dickerman of Dorchester or the wife of William Ives or William Bassett.

Hannah seems to exist more in the minds of researchers in the late 19th and early 20th century than in her time of the early 17th century. There is one other candidate for Goodwife Ives, as the “Memoirs – Harold Kenney Beach,” in the NEGHR, suggests that William Ives’ wife was named Sarah, but like Hannah, there is again no supporting evidence . This article offers few final answers but it hopefully clears up some commonly held misunderstandings and provides a clearer direction and firmer foundation for future research on the Bassett, Dickerman, and Ives families in early New England.

Referecnes:

51. Records of the Colony and Plantation of New Haven from 1638 to 1649, p. 304.

52. The Book Notices section of the NEHGR in 1899 states: “The Bassett Report contains the proceedings of the second reunion of the ‘Bassett Family Association of America,’ held in Plymouth, Mass. Sept. 16, 1898. In the historical address, Frank G. Bassett, Esq., the Historian of the association, assumes, or permits the reader to assume, without an iota of proof, that the William Bassett who according to the records of Leyden, Holland, was married to Margaret Oldham, July 29, 1611, and the William Bassett of Plymouth and Duxbury whose will is dated 1667, are one and the same person. Such unsupported assumptions do more than anything else to bring the science of genealogy into dispute. The subsequent data given in Mr. Bassett’s address is of positive value, and should stimulate other members of the family to co-operate with him in obtaining material for a complete genealogy of the family.” (p. 379). The author of the book notice was Chaplin Roswell Randall Hoes, U.S.N (p.380). I included the complete quote in fairness to Frank Bassett and this statement does not discredit all of his work. It merely indicates that, in the opinion of the writer, his scholarship was not perfect. The William Bassett referred to in this book comment

Comments

[ErikaH]

I found this while researching my genealogy concerning Hannah Dickerman being the wife of William Ives per your blog discussion above I found this reference on the internet by another genealogist:
"There is a controversy about the surname of William Ive's wife, HANNAH. I believe that she was the daughter of my ancestors, THOMAS & ELLEN (WHITTINGTON) DICKERMAN, who immigrated to Boston/Dorchester. The reason that I believe this is because William Bassett, Hannah's second husband, names Abraham Dickerman and John Cooper, Sr. as his "brothers" in his will. If Hannah was the daughter of Thomas & Ellen Dickerman, ABRAM DICKERMAN would have been her brother and JOHN COOPER, Sr. her brother-in-law, and both would have been William Bassett's brothers-in-law. In those days, the term "brothers" covered brothers-in-law."

[Bill Ives]

Erika

Thanks very much for this very interesting information. I was not aware of William Bassett's reference in his will. I am related to both John Cooper and Abram Dickerman, as well as William Bassett, through marriages even if Hannah Dickerman was not William Ives wife. There were many connections then with some few people to choose as mates. Your finding adds support to the Hannah Dickerman claim. However, I wonder how much men referred to each others as brothers. There also may have been other ways they connected just as these other men are also my ancestors, along with William Ives.

William Ives had Richard Miles and Roger Allen witness his will. I wonder how he referred to them. At the time William Bassett agreed in court to honor the will of William Ives. He married William Ives' widow the day William Ives died so I guess everything was agreed to in advance.

I do not have the answers here but my research does show the lack of documentation for women at the time. Your contribution is very useful.