Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Revisiting William Hogue and Barbara Hume

 Sometime ago I addressed the family legend that William Hogue [born 1660] and Barbara Hume [born 1670] sailed to America on the ship Caledonia in 1682. Barbara's parents died during the voyage and William looked after Barbara until he could deliver her to an uncle named Johnston in New York. William and Barbaraa later married.

Problems:

[1] There is no record of the Caledonia sailing in 1682.

[2] The Johnston in question did not arrive until 1685.

[3] The legend parallels the story of Johnston whose future in-laws died on their voyage to America, leaving an orphaned daughter.

It is believed that William Hog / Hoge / Hogue was born in 1660 and Barbara Hume in 1670. Weeding out duplicate children and children not mentioned in William's will, calculating probable ages at marriage of the children, dates when sons were of age to own land, etc., it is most likely that the first child waas born about 1697. However, most sources - undocumented, of course, have the couple married about 1685-87.

In 1697, William was 37 and Babara was 27. They would have been married about two years. No marriage record has been located for the couple.  This was a late marriage for both, especially if a first marriage. Their last child was born in 1712. Barbara would have been 42 - right at the end of her child-bearing period.

Why did William and Barbara wait ten years to have children? Or did they meet later than thought and marry about 1695? Either way, Barbara was getting a late start in having children.

Could it be possible that we have the wrong ages? Could we have the wrong couple? Did William Hoge marry a Barbaraa with a different surname?

There was a William Hog born to George Hoge and Margaret Hume on 3 February 1674 in Haddington, Scotland. He would have been 21 in 1695, about the time the marriage would have taken place.

Just raising some questions on an immigrant couple.


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