It is once again time to vent! I am currently working on my Land family of Lower Norfolk & Princess Anne Cos., Virginia. Documentation is hard to come by on-line for this bunch. In generation #2, however, the will of Renatus Land is accessible - an extraction at least. Renatus gave the order of birth for his three sons [Renatus - eldest, Edward - 2nd, Robert - 3rd] & two daughters [Elizabeth - eldest & Ann]. Exactly where the girls fit in the birth order is up for grabs.
Without exception, undocumented trees offer 1665 as the marriage year for Renatus & Frances Keeling. Nearly every tree has Robert born in 1665 & Renatus, Edward & Elizabeth all born before 1665. Ann consistently is assigned a 1669 birth. That means a colonial Virginia family of the Anglican faith had three children out of wedlock & married the year the 4th child was born.
If the Lands married earlier, say 1655, the year before the birth of the 1st child, Frances, who was born about 1646, would have been 9 years old. No chance!
If 1665 was the marriage year, the Land babies would have started arriving about 1666, with subsequent arrivals about 1668, 1670, 1672 & 1674. So, a possible birth order could be Renatus [c1666], Edward [c1668], Elizabeth [c1670], Robert [c1672] & Ann [c1674]. The girls are the wildcards; they could fit in anywhere in the order.
Please!!! If you have even an estimated marriage year for a couple, make sure the dates of birth for the kids fit!
There is always the exception to the rule, but most babies - especially in colonial times - arrive after the parents tie the knot.
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