Finding records of Richard Heath of Swansea has been a difficult task. Aside from his probate documents in Volume 2 of Bristol County, Massachusetts Probate Records, 1699-1710, and the listing of the birth records of two of his three children in Swansea, Massachusetts Vital Records, I have been able to find no other evidence of the life of Richard Heath -- of where he came from before settling in Swansea, or whether he is related to any of the other Heath families -- either those of Haverhill, Massachusetts or those of Roxbury, Massachusetts.
I know from his probate records that Richard Heath was a tailor by occupation as well as a free landholder (he was referred to as "yeo."-- yeoman -- in the same document). Richard Heath owned land in Swansea, as evidenced by the inventory of his estate of "the house and land", valued at 26 pounds, 1 shilling and 1 penny, although I have found no deed in Bristol County land records to clarify when he first came into possession of his land. Judging from the fact that he died without a will and that his two younger children were born in 1686 and 1689, I assume that he was a relatively young man at the time of his death.
Richard Heath married Mercy _______ , probably in the early 1680s. The couple settled in Swansea where at least two of their three children were born. The children were:
John Heath, born before 1686, place unknown. (John Heath is named in the probate records of Richard Heath as his eldest son. John Heath received 4 pounds from his father's estate. John Heath sold his portion of Richard Heath's estate to his stepfather, Cornelius Salisbury, the transaction being referenced in a deed dated December 14, 1705. At the time of the settlement of Richard Heath's estate on November 6, 1707, John Heath was away at "sea and is not Returned nor is it known when he will").
Joseph Heath, born November 5, 1686 in Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts, married Dorothy ________ about 1710 in Bristol County, Massachusetts. He settled in Groton, New London County, Connecticut 1711-1713.
Hannah Heath, born May 20, 1689 in Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts.
Richard Heath's estate was inventoried on September 16, 1699, although I would propose that Richard Heath's actual time of death took place some years earlier, probably around 1690, for the following reasons:
In the record of the inventory of Richard Heath's estate is the statement that Mercy (Heath) Salisbury "made Oath that the Inventory ... is all that was left of her former husband's estate the time when she Intermarried with her present husband". This statement indicates that Mercy (Heath) Salisbury had for some time been married to her second husband, Cornelius Salisbury, at the time that the inventory was taken in September 1699.
The statement in the estate settlement document refers to Mercy Salisbury's "great love and Industry in bring (sic) up her children being very young when their father Richard Heath Deceased". In September 1699, Joseph and Hannah Heath would have been nearly thirteen and ten years of age, respectively. Although Joseph and Hannah would still have been considered minor children at these ages, they would hardly have been referred to as "being very young".
Swansea, Bristol County vital records list the births of the children of Cornelius Salisbury and his wife Mercy, from 1691/92 to 1707/08. While it's possible that Cornelius Salisbury was married to another woman named Mercy prior to his marriage to the widow, Mercy Heath, it appears more likely that Mercy Heath married Cornelius Salisbury about 1690/91. If Richard Heath died before this time, perhaps around 1690, Joseph and Hannah Heath would have been about four and one years of age, respectively, thus giving more credence to the statement that they were "very young when their father Richard Heath Deceased".
Although I have found no real evidence of Richard Heath's parentage, I am intrigued by records of a John Heath who lived in East Greenwich, Rhode Island in the 1670s and served as a representative there. Given the time when John Heath lived in East Greenwich, the relative proximity of East Greenwich, Rhode Island to Bristol Co., Massachusetts, and the fact that Richard Heath's firstborn son was named John, John Heath appears to be the one possible candidate I've found for a father of Richard Heath. There is also a record (Rhode Island Deaths, 1630-1930) of an Elizabeth Heath, wife of John Heath, who died March 13, 1722 at the age of "84 years, wanting 4 months". Although the record in Rhode Island Deaths doesn't indicate where in Rhode Island this Elizabeth Heath died, her birth date would have been ca. 1639, making her about the right age to have been the wife of John Heath of East Greenwich, and the mother of Richard Heath of Swansea. Of course, these ideas are purely speculative, however, I am hopeful that new information about John Heath of East Greenwich and Elizabeth, wife of John Heath of Rhode Island will be revealed in the future.
Sources
Bristol County, Massachusetts Probate Records,
Volume 2, 1699-1710, Pages 185 and 189.
From LDS Family History Microfilm # 0461882Bristol County, Massachusetts Vital Records,
from LDS Family History Microfilm # 0022366Pierce's Colonial Lists by Ebenezer W. Pierce, p. 123.
Boston: Press of David Clapp and Son, 1880Rhode Island Deaths, 1630-1930
Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts, Town Records,
from LDS Family History Microfilm # 0903396Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts Vital Records,
from LDS Family History Microfilms #
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