As we move back a generation in the Stanwood family, facts are a little harder to come by, at least concerning Lydia (Messer/Mercer) Butler.

John Stanwood was born at “the last” of February 1652 in Gloucester, Essex, Massachusetts according to the entry in the town clerk’s records. He was the second child and second son of Philip Stanwood and Jane, his wife. [Many online trees claim her maiden name was Whitmarsh, but there is NO documentation found to support that claim.]

Therefore, Jane is (MNU) or Maiden Name Unknown.

John Stanwood married Lydia Messer or Mercer on 9 December 1680 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts. It appears from four depositions that Lydia gave in her lifetime that she was born c1662, possibly in Maine and that her father was Thomas “Messer,” thought to be Mercer.

She married a Mr. Butler when she was about seventeen years old, c1679, but was soon widowed.

The History of the Stanwood Family in America has a detailed summary of her life, beginning with the John Stainwood entry at the bottom of page 31:

These depositions are the only source of information about Lydia’s life before she married John Stanwood.

Children: (All events took place in Gloucester.)

1. John, born 26 September 1681; married Deborah Robinson, 16 June 1707
2. Jonathan, born 12 September 1683; died 7 May 1745; married Dorcas Robinson, 27 August 1707. Dorcas was the sister of Deborah who married John Stanwood.
3. Lydia, born 2 December 1685; married Jonathan Parsons, 6 February 1710/11
4. Naomi, born 16 January 1687/88; married William Fear/Fears, 24 July 1721
5. James, born 17 March 1689/90; married Mary Davis, 25 December 1712
6. Mary, born 31 March 1695; married Daniel Davis, 2 December 1720
7. Abigail, born 4 June 1697; married John Walklate [That’s what the record says and he is the only man of that name found in the Gloucester records.], 28 December 1721
8. Hepzibah, born 3 October 1699; married James Witham, 7 February 1722/23

John Stanwood Sr. died on 25 January 1705/06 in Gloucester, Essex, Massachusetts and his son, John Jr., was appointed administrator of his estate.

Lydia’s final deposition was taken on 19 July 1742, so she died sometime after that date, probably in Gloucester, where the town clerk continued to omit death dates from his records!