Margaret Lang, 9th Great-Grandmother

October 8, 2015 — ancestor, Colonial America, desertion, Rhode Island

Lang Coat of Arms

My 9th great-grandmother was born in Dedham, Essex, England and died in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.  She arrived in Salem with her second husband by 1630, but had a hard life in the new world. Her husband abandoned her, but she won a suit against him for support in Rhode Island:

June 5, 1665 Rhode Island Records

“ Wheras ther hath ben a petition presented to this presant Asembly margrett porter the wife of John porter of This jurisdicyion of Rhod Iland &c; in which The said margrett doth most sadly Complaine that her said husband is destitute of all Conjugall Love towards her, and sutable Care of her; is gone from her and hath Left her in such a nessesetous stat that unavoydably she is Brought to a meane dependance upon her Children for her Dayly suply, to her very great griffe of heart. and the Rather Considering that ther is in the hands of her said husband a very Competant Estat for both ther subsistance; and Thervpon the said margrett hath most Earnnestly Requested this gennerall asembly to take Care of her and to take her deplorable Estate Into your serious Consideration, as to make some sutable provition for her Reliefe out of the Estate of her husband, and that spedily before both hee and it be Convayed away.
“The Court therfore Taking the matter in to ther serioues Consideration and being Thoroughly satisfied, both by Common fame and otherwise, That the Complaints are True; and that the feares premised of convaying at least his Estate away are not without grownds; and haueing a deep sence upon ther hearts of this sad Condition which this poore anciante matrone is by this menes Reduced into…bee it by the said Court and the authority thereof decreed and Enacted that all the Estate, bothe personall and Reall of the above said John porter, Lying and Being in this Jurisdiction is hearby secured as if actually seazed upon and deposited for The Reliefe of the aforesaid Complainant…untill hee hath settled a Competent Reliefe upon his ageed wife to her full satisfaction…”

Rhode Island colonial records

The following is excerpted from an article in The American Genealogist, July, 1998, Vol. 73, No. 3, p.180,
“Reconstructing Sarah (Odding) Sherman, wife of Philip Sherman of Portsmouth, Rhode Island,” by Patricia Law Hatcher :

The life of Margaret Lang Odding Porter was not one of stability. She was probably born by 1590 and married by 1610 to William Oddyn, a weaver.

In 1612 she was left with a small daughter, Sarah. Sometime before 1633, probably before 1629, she married John Porter, likely in Braintree. John and Margaret had a daughter, Hannah, probably born in England.

John, Margaret, Sarah and Hannah came to Roxbury during 1633, where they joined the church late that year. John Porter and his son-in-law, Philip Sherman ( Sarah’s husband ) were amongst those who broke from the Roxbury church.

Margaret was uprooted again, moving to Portsmouth, RI by 1638. Her life there was not a happy one as John abandoned her by 1665, moving to Pettaquamscutt and apparently taking up with another woman. Margaret was obliged to petition the court for relief. This court action was the last mention of her in the records.”

Margaret Lang (1590 – 1671)
is my 9th great grandmother
Sarah Odding (1609 – 1681)
daughter of MARGARET Lang
Eber Sherman (1634 – 1706)
son of Sarah Odding
Mary Sherman (1688 – 1751)
daughter of Eber Sherman
Thomas Sweet (1732 – 1813)
son of Mary Sherman
Thomas Sweet (1765 – 1844)
son of Thomas Sweet
Valentine Sweet (1791 – 1858)
son of Thomas Sweet
Sarah LaVina Sweet (1840 – 1923)
daughter of Valentine Sweet
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Sarah LaVina Sweet
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse