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Records and documents: William Oak

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Vital Records of Marlborough (1908), Births, p. 142, under OAKE: Natthaniel (7 Jan 1703), William (18 Feb 1705), Hannah (27 Dec 1707), Mary (31 Mar 1710), Ann (9 Sep 1712), John (16 Mar 1714-15), Jonathan (21 Aug 1717) and George (18 Feb 1719-20, 'of Westbrow'), all children of Nathaniel and Mary. — Vital Records of Marlborough (1908), Births, p. 142, under OAKE: Natthaniel (7 Jan 1703), William (18 Feb 1705), Hannah (27 Dec 1707), Mary (31 Mar 1710), Ann (9 Sep 1712), John (16 Mar 1714-15), Jonathan (21 Aug 1717) and George (18 Feb 1719-20, 'of Westbrow'), all children of Nathaniel and Mary. 1703-1720 (entries) · p. 142 (Births)
Source: Vital Records of Marlborough (NEHGS, 1908); Internet Archive (public domain)
How it is shown: Complete page as supplied; no crop, no retouch, no search highlight.
Keep in mind: What the page says: Confirmed from the page image, with the dates as printed: Ann, d. Natthaniel and Mary, Sept. 9, 1712; Gorge, s. Nathanil of Westbrow and Mary, Feb. 18, 1719-20; Hannah, Dec. 27, 1707; John, March 16, 1714-15; Jonathan, Aug. 21, 1717; Mary, March 31, 1710; Natthaniel, Jan. 7, 1703 (the year is printed 1703); William, Feb. 18, 1705; most with the note that the church record spells the name Oak. The same page prints 'OAK, Mary, bap. Nov. 29, 1741,' a different, later Mary, and later Oakes and Oaks families (Albert and Abigail; John and Experience) that are not Nathaniel's line. Whether these are our people: Likely, not Confirmed. The eight names, their birth order and the parents' names 'Natthaniel and Mary' match exactly the eight children the 1826 Worcester Magazine footnote gives to Nathaniel Oaks and Mary Holloway, and the tree holds the same eight; the page names no surname for Mary, and the tie to the tree's Nathaniel Oak(e) and Mary (Holloway) Oak rests on that match and the Marlborough place. William (b. 18 Feb 1705) is Likely the William Oakes of 18 who died in the 1723 Shrewsbury fire, by age alone. The 1741 baptism is not tagged. A caution on the date: Natthaniel's 7 Jan 1703 falls in the old-style January-to-March window, where a year written plainly as 1703 is often meant as 1703/4 in today's reckoning; the page does not say which the clerk meant. The parents' own Concord marriage, dated "March ye 2d 1703," carries the same ambiguity and is not independently resolved either (see the Nathaniel Oake story). This is a caution about reading the date, not a claim that one reading is correct.
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Vital Records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849, p. 142: Oake births (children of Nathaniel and Mary). Births of Natthaniel (1703), William (1705), Hannah (1707), Mary (1710), Ann (1712), John (1715), Jonathan (1717) and George (1719-20), all to Nathaniel and Mary. — Vital Records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849, p. 142: Oake births (children of Nathaniel and Mary). Births of Natthaniel (1703), William (1705), Hannah (1707), Mary (1710), Ann (1712), John (1715), Jonathan (1717) and George (1719-20), all to Nathaniel and Mary. 1703-1720 · p. 142
Source: Internet Archive (public-domain scan); vitalrecordsofma00marl.
How it is shown: Complete page as scanned; no crop, no retouch.
Keep in mind: A printed transcription of the town's record, not the manuscript.
Evidence for: Vital Records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849 (1908), p. 142: 'John, s. Natthaniel and Mary, March 16, 1714-15' · the original at Internet Archive
Evidence for: Vital Records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849 (1908), births: 'Jonathan, s. Nathaniel and Mary, Aug. 21, 1717' · the original at Internet Archive
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Middlesex County, Mass., probate case 16186, Nathaniel Oake of Westborough: guardian's bond of Jonathan Forbush for the eight children (film 007553698, image 774). Bond to Francis Foxcroft, Judge of Probate, by Jonathan Forbush of Sutton and John Fay of Westborough, reciting that Forbush has taken the guardianship (with their mother's consent and desire) of eight children of the late Nathaniel Oak of Westborough, deceased intestate: Mary, Anne, John, Jonathan, George, Nathaniel, William and Hannah. — Middlesex County, Mass., probate case 16186, Nathaniel Oake of Westborough: guardian's bond of Jonathan Forbush for the eight children (film 007553698, image 774). Bond to Francis Foxcroft, Judge of Probate, by Jonathan Forbush of Sutton and John Fay of Westborough, reciting that Forbush has taken the guardianship (with their mother's consent and desire) of eight children of the late Nathaniel Oak of Westborough, deceased intestate: Mary, Anne, John, Jonathan, George, Nathaniel, William and Hannah. 1 Feb 1721/2 · film 007553698, image 774
Source: FamilySearch, Probate records 1648-1924 (Middlesex County, Massachusetts), film 007553698, image 774.
How it is shown: Complete frame (original, unaltered); no crop, no retouch, no search highlight.
Keep in mind: Transcribed (frames 766-782); a first reading was made. Confirmed: the eight children and the ordinals for John (seventh), Jonathan (fifth) and George (second). Likely: Anne (tenth) and Hannah (fifteenth). Not reliably read: the ages for Mary, Nathaniel and William. Date and sum Likely. Tagging the eight to the tree's persons rests on the names and the 1906 register order (Likely).
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Middlesex probate index, p. 352: 'Nathaniel, Westborough, 1722, Administration, 16185', and the guardianships under case 16186 for his children Anne, George, Hannah, John, Jonathan, Mary, Nathaniel and William. — Middlesex probate index, p. 352: 'Nathaniel, Westborough, 1722, Administration, 16185', and the guardianships under case 16186 for his children Anne, George, Hannah, John, Jonathan, Mary, Nathaniel and William. 1722 (index printed 1914) · p. 352
Source: Index to the Probate Records of the County of Middlesex, Massachusetts (1914), via the Internet Archive.
How it is shown: Complete page as saved from the Internet Archive scan; no crop, no retouch, no search highlight.
Keep in mind: Confirmed. An index prints name, residence, year, type and case number only; the eight children's tags rest on the case 16186 papers (the guardian's bond names all eight), matched by given name: Likely for each.
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Vital Records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849 (1908), p. 346: deaths ('BRAGG, Abial, Aug. 8, 1723'). The deaths under BRAGG include 'Abial, Aug. 8, 1723', between Bradley and Breck. — Vital Records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849 (1908), p. 346: deaths ('BRAGG, Abial, Aug. 8, 1723'). The deaths under BRAGG include 'Abial, Aug. 8, 1723', between Bradley and Breck. 8 Aug 1723 · p. 346
Source: Internet Archive (public-domain scan); vitalrecordsofma00marl.
How it is shown: Complete page as scanned; no crop, no retouch, no search highlight.
Keep in mind: Confirmed. The entry gives no age, parents, place or cause and does not mention the fire; the date is the day the fire's victims died (Boston News-Letter) and Marlborough is the Braggs' home town in the newspaper, so it is read as Abiel Bragg's death (inference). It does not name William Oakes.
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Middlesex County, Mass., probate case 16186, Nathaniel Oake of Westborough: account of Jonathan Forbush, guardian of the eight children, with the judge's allowance (film 007553698, image 782). 'The Account of Jonathan Forbush Guardian of Nath. William John Jonathan George Hannah Mary and Anne Oak Eight Children of Nath. Oake late of Westborough .. decd Intestate', Cambridge, June 30 1729, with the judge's allowance (Jona. Remington) in the presence of Nathaniel Oake, eldest son (now of full age), William Holloway as guardian of John, and Joseph Wheeler as guardian of Mary and Anne; includes 20 pounds paid the widow for quitting her right of dower. — Middlesex County, Mass., probate case 16186, Nathaniel Oake of Westborough: account of Jonathan Forbush, guardian of the eight children, with the judge's allowance (film 007553698, image 782). 'The Account of Jonathan Forbush Guardian of Nath. William John Jonathan George Hannah Mary and Anne Oak Eight Children of Nath. Oake late of Westborough .. decd Intestate', Cambridge, June 30 1729, with the judge's allowance (Jona. Remington) in the presence of Nathaniel Oake, eldest son (now of full age), William Holloway as guardian of John, and Joseph Wheeler as guardian of Mary and Anne; includes 20 pounds paid the widow for quitting her right of dower. 30 June 1729 · film 007553698, image 782
Source: FamilySearch, Probate records 1648-1924 (Middlesex County, Massachusetts), film 007553698, image 782.
How it is shown: Complete frame (original, unaltered); no crop, no retouch, no search highlight.
Keep in mind: Transcribed (frames 766-782); a first reading was made. Confirmed: heading and the allowance in outline. Likely: the sums (a balance of 146-0-10 less 67-9-6 gives 78-11-4, which the arithmetic confirms). Only Nathaniel, John, Mary and Anne are present or accounted for individually; William, Jonathan, George and Hannah are named only in the heading.
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Whitney, The History of the County of Worcester (1793), Shrewsbury, p. 136: the 1723 Boston account of the burning of Capt. John Keyes's house ('William Oaks of 18, his apprentices'). Whitney gives 'in the words of the account published in the only Newspaper .. then printed in Newengland' the 'exact account of the awful burning of Capt. John Keyes's house, with five persons in it, at Shrewsbury, in the night between the 7th and 8th of this inst.', including 'Mr. Bragg aforesaid, the carpenter, with his brother Abiel, of 17 years of age, and William Oaks of 18, his apprentices'. — Whitney, The History of the County of Worcester (1793), Shrewsbury, p. 136: the 1723 Boston account of the burning of Capt. John Keyes's house ('William Oaks of 18, his apprentices'). Whitney gives 'in the words of the account published in the only Newspaper .. then printed in Newengland' the 'exact account of the awful burning of Capt. John Keyes's house, with five persons in it, at Shrewsbury, in the night between the 7th and 8th of this inst.', including 'Mr. Bragg aforesaid, the carpenter, with his brother Abiel, of 17 years of age, and William Oaks of 18, his apprentices'. 1793 (account dated Boston, 15 Aug 1723) · p. 136
Source: Internet Archive (public-domain scan); historyofcountyo00whit.
How it is shown: CROP of the page image (the upper part of the printed page, down to the line ending 'were work-'); the full-page image is not held in the folder; no retouch, no search highlight.
Keep in mind: Confirmed. Whitney says he is quoting the Boston paper of 15 Aug 1723. Whitney prints the surname Oaks; Ward (1847) prints 'William Oakes, 16'. Whitney's 'only Newspaper' is wrong (the Gazette and the Courant also ran). The identification of the apprentice as the son of Nathaniel Oak(e), b. 18 Feb 1705, is Hudson's (1862, p. 426) and is Likely, not proven.
Evidence for: Boston News-Letter of 15 Aug 1723 as reprinted by Whitney 1793: 'An exact account of the awful burning of Capt. John Keyes's house, with five persons in it, at Shrewsbury, in the night between the 7th and 8th of this inst.' ... 'Mr. Bragg aforesaid, the carpenter, with his brother Abiel, of 17 years of age, and William Oaks of 18, his apprentices, were working about it.'
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The Worcester Magazine and Historical Journal, vol. 2 (1826), p. 152: Joseph Allen's 'History of Northborough,' with a footnote saying Nathaniel Oaks came from England, married Mehitabel, daughter of John Rediet (died 25 Nov 1702, without children), and had by his second wife Mary, daughter of Adam Holloway, eight children, one of whom, William, was 'burned to death at Shrewsbury in the house of Capt. Keyes.'. — The Worcester Magazine and Historical Journal, vol. 2 (1826), p. 152: Joseph Allen's 'History of Northborough,' with a footnote saying Nathaniel Oaks came from England, married Mehitabel, daughter of John Rediet (died 25 Nov 1702, without children), and had by his second wife Mary, daughter of Adam Holloway, eight children, one of whom, William, was 'burned to death at Shrewsbury in the house of Capt. Keyes.'. 1826 · p. 152 (Internet Archive leaf n159)
Source: The Worcester Magazine and Historical Journal, vol. 2, Worcester, 1826; Internet Archive (public domain).
How it is shown: Complete page as supplied; no crop, no retouch, no search highlight.
Keep in mind: What the page says: Confirmed. The footnote says Nathaniel Oaks came from England; married Mehitabel, daughter of John Rediet, who died 25 Nov 1702 without children; his second wife Mary was a daughter of Adam Holloway; the children were Nathaniel (of Bolton), William (burned at Shrewsbury in Capt. Keyes's house), Hannah (m. Gershom Fay Jr., d. 8 Mar 1806), Mary (m. Daniel Maynard, Marlborough), Ann (m. David Maynard, Westborough), John, Jonathan (removed to Harvard) and George. The text says nothing of a shipwreck, a cabin boy or a catamount; it is a printed account of 1826, not a contemporary record. Whether these are our people: the page names Nathaniel Oaks of Marlborough, his two wives and his children, and the tree holds the same parents and the same eight children with the same spouses (Likely for each child, since the tie to Nathaniel rests on this 1826 account). That the 'William' of the footnote is the William Oakes aged 18 named in the Boston News-Letter of 15 Aug 1723 is Likely, not Confirmed: the footnote is a later secondary account. Not tagged: John Rediet and the other people named on the page.
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Ward, 'History of Shrewsbury', Worcester Magazine and Historical Journal (1826), p. 27: the account of the burning of Capt. John Keyes's house, 'William Oaks, of 18, his apprentices'. Ward repeats Whitney's quotation of the Boston account of 15 August 1723: Mr. Bragg the carpenter, 'with his brother Abiel, of 17 years of age, and William Oaks, of 18, his apprentices', and the three sons of Capt. Keyes (Solomon 20, John 13, Stephen 6) slept in the new house. — Ward, 'History of Shrewsbury', Worcester Magazine and Historical Journal (1826), p. 27: the account of the burning of Capt. John Keyes's house, 'William Oaks, of 18, his apprentices'. Ward repeats Whitney's quotation of the Boston account of 15 August 1723: Mr. Bragg the carpenter, 'with his brother Abiel, of 17 years of age, and William Oaks, of 18, his apprentices', and the three sons of Capt. Keyes (Solomon 20, John 13, Stephen 6) slept in the new house. 1826 (account dated Boston, 15 Aug 1723) · p. 27
Source: Internet Archive (public-domain scan); worcestermagazi00unkngoog.
How it is shown: Complete page image; no crop, no retouch, no search highlight.
Keep in mind: Confirmed on the page image: 'of 18'. A second Internet Archive copy (Allen County copy) is so faint that its text comes out as 'of 10'; that is a scanning artifact, not the print. The footnote on this page calls Ebenezer Bragg father of the late Deacon John Bragg. The text is Ward's quotation of Whitney, not an independent reading of the 1723 paper.
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Ward, History of the Town of Shrewsbury (1847), Family Register p. 227: footnote on Ebenezer Bragg and the burning of Capt. Keyes's house ('his brother, Abiel, aged 17 years, and William Oakes, 16, his apprentices'). The footnote to 'BRAGG, EBENEZER' says that in August 1723 he was building a house for Capt. John Keyes, that on the night of the 7th it was burnt, and that of the six sleeping in it only Mr. Bragg escaped; those who perished were his brother Abiel, aged 17, and William Oakes, 16, his apprentices, and Solomon, John and Stephen, sons of Capt. Keyes. It adds that the town records contain no notice of the event or of any death. — Ward, History of the Town of Shrewsbury (1847), Family Register p. 227: footnote on Ebenezer Bragg and the burning of Capt. Keyes's house ('his brother, Abiel, aged 17 years, and William Oakes, 16, his apprentices'). The footnote to 'BRAGG, EBENEZER' says that in August 1723 he was building a house for Capt. John Keyes, that on the night of the 7th it was burnt, and that of the six sleeping in it only Mr. Bragg escaped; those who perished were his brother Abiel, aged 17, and William Oakes, 16, his apprentices, and Solomon, John and Stephen, sons of Capt. Keyes. It adds that the town records contain no notice of the event or of any death. 1847 (events 7-8 Aug 1723) · p. 227
Source: Internet Archive (public-domain scan); historyoftownofs00ward_2.
How it is shown: Complete page, rendered from the Internet Archive PDF (BPL copy); no crop, no retouch, no search highlight; the library stamp is on the original.
Keep in mind: Confirmed on the page images of three copies (BPL, NYPL, LoC): 'William Oakes, 16'. Ward's own 1826 text and Whitney give 18; Ward 1847 does not say where 16 comes from, so 16 is an unsourced variant. The footnote says 'the night of the 7th'. The page carries a library ownership stamp. The identification of the apprentice as Nathaniel Oak(e)'s son William is Hudson's (1862, p. 426), Likely.
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Hudson, History of the Town of Marlborough (1862), p. 426: The Oakes Family. Nathaniel Oakes came from England, and m. Mehitable, dau. of John Rediat.. — Hudson, History of the Town of Marlborough (1862), p. 426: The Oakes Family. Nathaniel Oakes came from England, and m. Mehitable, dau. of John Rediat.. 1862 · p. 426
Source: Internet Archive (public-domain scan); historyoftownofm00huds.
How it is shown: Complete page as scanned; no crop, no retouch.
Keep in mind: A printed book, not an original record.
Evidence for: Charles Hudson, History of the Town of Marlborough (1862), genealogy of Oakes, p. 426: 'William, b. Feb. 18, 1705; burned to death at Shrewsbury in the house of Capt. Keyes.' · the original at Internet Archive
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The Essex Antiquarian, vol. XI (1907), p. 62, 'Bragg Genealogy' (Ebenezer Bragg, carpenter; Abiel Bragg, 'lost in a burning house in Shrewsbury'). The Bragg genealogy says of Ebenezer (b. Nov. 13, 1699) that he was a carpenter who lived in Marlborough until 1724 and removed to Shrewsbury, and of Abiel (b. about 1706) that he 'd. in 1723, unmarried. She was lost in a burning house in Shrewsbury.'. — The Essex Antiquarian, vol. XI (1907), p. 62, 'Bragg Genealogy' (Ebenezer Bragg, carpenter; Abiel Bragg, 'lost in a burning house in Shrewsbury'). The Bragg genealogy says of Ebenezer (b. Nov. 13, 1699) that he was a carpenter who lived in Marlborough until 1724 and removed to Shrewsbury, and of Abiel (b. about 1706) that he 'd. in 1723, unmarried. She was lost in a burning house in Shrewsbury.'. 1907 (events 1723) · p. 62
Source: Internet Archive (public-domain scan); essexantiquarian11perluoft.
How it is shown: Complete page as scanned; no crop, no retouch, no search highlight.
Keep in mind: Confirmed. The page does not name William Oakes: it records the carpenter's family and the death of his brother Abiel in the 1723 Shrewsbury fire in which William died. It cites no source for the fire (a footnote credits a contributor, Charles L. Clarke, New York City), calls Abiel 'She' (an evident error), and Abiel's 'about 1706' is derived from the newspaper's 'of 17 Years' (not an Ipswich birth record).
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