Mary Peck Butterworth

I hesitated whether to write about Mary as her alleged achievements may be regarded as doubtful. On the other hand, she is in our family tree* and whatever someone held against her was found untrue.

That indirect relation comes via Miss Hannah Titus nee Butterworth who was the wife of our second cousin twice removed, John Titus. Mary Butterworth nee Peck was Hannah's niece.

Mary was born in Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts on 27 July 1686 to John and Elizabeth Peck. She was a wife and mother like many other women. Her husband was Mr. John Butterworth (b. 7 May 1679, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts) whom she married on 26 Sept. 1710.

What was so special about Mary? Allegedly, she became a counterfeiter about five years after the marriage. Mary and other persons were accused of making fake money using wetted silk and iron to transfer the money pattern on paper. The people who testified against her claimed that Mary was the one who invented the method and organized the counterfeiter group. To make it more interesting, it was one of the lady's brothers and his wife who were witnesses of the prosecution. According to their testimony, the couple worked together with Mary and later turned against her. Why would they have done it? Was it all about money, or they suddenly decided to be honest citizens of the colony?

Was it all really true? The suspicion and accusations started when John, Mary's husband, bought an expensive house for his immediate family. Maybe the relations were simply jealous about that? Maybe they did not like the fact that Mary and her husband were well off? However it was, no evidence of Mary's alleged criminal activity was found and the charges were dropped.

After the court case, Mary lived the peaceful life of a wife and mother. She passed away where she lived on 7 Feb. 1775, about 4 years after the day of John's death.




Family line

Mary Peck Butterworth

⇒ her husband John Butterworth - the son of John Butterworth and Hannah Wheaton

⇒ his sister Hannah (Butterworth) Titus (b. 14 Feb. 1680, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts/d. 1 Feb. 1709, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts)  - as you can see, Hannah passed before her brother and Mary got married so she did not witness the events described above

Hannah Butterworth
Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915 (1)
Gender: Female
Birth Date: 14 Feb 1680
Fother's Name: John Butterworth
Mother's Name: Annah

⇒ her husband John Titus III - I wrote more John and the following family line in the previous post
 
⇒ his father John Titus II
 
⇒ his father John Titus I

⇒ his brother Thomas Titus - our 6 times great-grandfather

⇒ his daughter Sarah (Titus) Crea Howard

⇒ her son Stephen Howard

⇒ his son Rev. Obediah Howard

⇒ his son Christopher Howard

⇒ his son Jarrot Howard - our great-great-great-grandfather

⇒ his son William James Howard

⇒ his daughter Rachel Clementine Howard


Resources:

• *my MyHeritage research
• Encyclopedia.com

1. "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FC7J-24F : 10 February 2018), Hannah Butterworth, 14 Feb 1680; citing REHOBOTH,BRISTOL,MASSACHUSETTS, ; FHL microfilm 908,952.
Photos: Rehoboth, Massachusetts website