Michael Bacon’s ancestry has been documented in three works, each written about a century ago, but with no updates or corrections in spite of Michael having thousands of descendants, I am accepting that three previous generations, that of Michael’s father, grandfather and great grandfather are correct.

Information about the families comes from wills filed in the county of Suffolk, England.

There are wild stories out there about the Bacon ancestry going back hundreds of years before the 15th century, but I’d take that with a grain of salt myself and I’m not going to help perpetuate that probable myth.

Here are three generations back from Michael, through my line of descent:

Michael’s great grandfather, Thomas Bacon, was likely born c1475 and died between 31 July 1535, when wrote his will, and 27 February 1535/36, when it was proved in court. His wife, Joane (MNU) survived him by a few years, dying in 1540.

Thomas Bacon was fairly well-to-do as he left estates in Helmingham, Otley, Pethaw and Winston to his wife. Upon her death, those lands would go to his son, John, and Thomas.

Joane (MNU) Bacon left her own will dated 30 July 1540 and proved 12 December 1540. Daughter Elizabeth was still unmarried at that time. Her other daughter was named as Anne Dow.

Children:

1. John, born c1505; died before 11 March 1557/58; married Margaret (MNU).
2. Thomas, born c1510; died 1557; married Agnes (MNU). She died in 1579.
3. Anne, died after 30 July 1540; married Mr. Dow, before that date.
4. Elizabeth, died after 30 July 1540; unmarried at that time

Michael Bacon’s grandfather was John Bacon who married Margaret (MNU). Margaret survived her husband. John’s will is dates 4 September 1557 and was proved six months later on 11 March 1557/58.

John Bacon likely married at least twice, as he had an eldest son and youngest son, both named William. Birth years for the children are estimates.

Children:

1. William, born c1533; died 1610. The name of his wife is unknown.
2. Michael, born c1535; died 1614; married (1) Elizabeth (MNU) (2) Grace Blomosale, 30 September 1607, Winston, Suffolk, England. She survived her husband.
3. Barbara, born c1537
4. Rose, born c1539
5. Thomas, born c1541; married Mary Ebinger, 1572, Winston, Suffolk, England
6. Richard, born c1543
7. William, born c1545: died between 12 October 1574, when he wrote his will, and 6 December 1575, when it was proved. He mentioned his siblings.

Michael Bacon was born c1535; died between 24 October 1614, Winston, Suffolk, England, when he wrote his will and 20 April 1615, when it was proved; married (1) Elizabeth (MNU) (2) Grace Blomosale, 30 September 1607, Winston, Suffolk, England. She survived her husband, but was not the mother of any of his children.

Children:

1. John, born c1566; died after 1615; married Mary (MNU), c1590.
2. Joanne, born c1567; not in her father’s will
3. Mary, born c1569; not in her father’s will
4. Thomas, born c1572; died after 1614.
5. Sarah, born c1574; married Daniel York, 1601
6. William, born c1577; married Rebecca Potter, daughter of Thomas Potter of Coventry, Warwick, England.
7. Michael, born c1579; married Alice (MNU)
8. Elizabeth, born c1584; married Mr. Bacon. Her daughter, Katherine, was mentioned in the 1614 will.

With these additional generations, my Bacon line is one of my earliest documented lines, with Thomas Bacon of Helmingham, Suffolk, England being my 14X great grandfather.

My line of descent:

1. Thomas Bacon = Joane (MNU)
   2. John Bacon = Margaret (MNU)
   3. Michael Bacon = Elizabeth (MNU)
   4. Michael Bacon = Mary (MNU)
   5. Michael Bacon = Mary (MNU)
   6. Mary Lakin = John Lakin
   7. I have a double descent from this couple in this generation – daughter Lydia Lakin who married John Shepley and son Josiah Lakin, who marred Lucy Boyden. Since they are of the same generation, I will continue just with the descendants of John and Lydia (Lakin) Shepley.
   8. Jonathan Shepley = Lydia Lakin (niece of Lydia in generation 4)
   9. Oliver Shepley = Mary Lakin (yes, this line is very inbred!)
   10. Sibbel Shepley = James Scripture
   11. Oliver Scripture = Mary Goddard Bucknam
   12. Mary Elizabeth Scripture = George Rogers Tarbox
   13. Nellie F. Tarbox = Calvin Segee Adams
   14. Charles Edwin Adams = Annie Maude Stuart
   15. Vernon Tarbox Adams = Hazel Ethel Coleman
   16. George Michael Sabo = Doris Priscilla Adams
   17. Linda Anne Sabo Stufflebean – Me!

 

Michael Bacon was one of the earlier ancestral lines that I was able to document due to my early New England roots. There have been two books published on Michael Bacon’s genealogy – Michael Bacon and his Descendants by Leon Brooks Bacon (reprinted from the New England Historic Genealogical Register in 1902) and Michael Bacon of Dedham 1640 and His Descendants, by Thomas W. Baldwin, published in 1915 – so both are well over 100 years old.

The latest published data I’ve found about this family, at least from a source that I would trust, is Bacon Family of Helmingham and Winston co. Suffolk, England and of Dedham and Salem, Mass. by J. Gardner Bartlett (a prolific New England genealogist and published author) and submitted by William Lincoln Palmer, published in 1936 in the New England Historic Genealogical Register, 90:300-302.

However, the are thousands and thousands of Bacon descendants and nothing recent has been published about the Bacon lineage. That leads me to believe that it is likely quite accurate even though the first Bacon, Thomas, was born c1475 and died in 1535.

Therefore, I will share this family line, beginning with Michael Bacon who died in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1648, who is my 11X great grandfather.

Michael Bacon was baptized on 6 December 1579 in Winston, Suffolk, Massachusetts and died in Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts on 18 April 1648. He married Alice, whose maiden name is unknown, probably around 1608. She predeceased him by just a few days, dying on 2 April 1648.

Their married daughter, Alice, who also lived in Dedham, died a few days before her mother on 29 March 1648. Alice’s husband, Thomas Bennett, predeceased her by 5 days, passing away on 24 March 1648.

Massachusetts was suffering through a smallpox epidemic at the time and it is likely that all four family members died of that disease.

Michael Bacon reportedly first removed to Ireland by 1633, although I have never seen the documentation for that statement. By 26 May 1640, Michael had removed from Ireland and signed a church covenant and settled in Dedham, Massachusetts.

Michael realized he was probably not going to survive and wrote his will on 14 April 1648, four days before he died. He named all four of his surviving children. An inventory was taken of his estate, which totaled £54, 15 shillings and 4 pence.

Children:

1. Michael, born c1609, probably in England; married (1) Mary, c1636. She died 26 August 1655, Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts. (2) Mary, widow of Thomas Richardson. She died 19 May 1670, Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts. (3) Mary Noyes, widow of Thomas Noyes of Sudbury, Massachusetts, 28 November 1670. In 1676, he made a court deposition in which he stated he was about 67 years old.
2. Daniel, born maybe c1615; died 7 September 1691, Newton, Middlesex, Massachusetts; married Mary Reed, c1640; she was daughter of Thomas Reed of Colchester, Essex, England.
3. John, born maybe c1625; died 17 June 1683, Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts; married Rebecca Hall, 17 December 1651, at Dedham.
4. Alice, born maybe c1627; died 29 March 1648, Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts; married Thomas Bancroft, 31 May 1647, Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts.
5. Sarah, born maybe c1629; married Anthony Hubbard, 14 April 1648, Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts. Sarah must have wanted her father to see her married or else Michael wanted to be sure that Sarah would be well cared for when he was gone.

I have hunted high and low for an image or transcription of Michael Bacon’s 1648 will. The Suffolk County, Massachusetts probate files, digitized on both FamilySearch and American Ancestors include a file for Michael with the notation of the date of his will, but only the estate inventory appears in his file.

The connection between this Michael Bacon and his ancestral home was made because his will (allegedly, since I can’t find it) included a bequest of one tipped pott and __ silver spoones. The will of Michael Bacon of Winston, Suffolk, England, dated 24 October 1614, left a bequest of a pott tipped with silver and Six silver spones marked with M and B to his son, Michael.

My line of descent:

1. Michael Bacon = Mary (MNU)
2. Michael Bacon = Mary (MNU)
3. Mary Lakin = John Lakin
4. I have a double descent from this couple in this generation – daughter Lydia Lakin who married John Shepley and son Josiah Lakin, who marred Lucy Boyden. Since they are of the same generation, I will continue just with the descendants of John and Lydia (Lakin) Shepley.
5. Jonathan Shepley = Lydia Lakin (niece of Lydia in generation 4)
6. Oliver Shepley = Mary Lakin (yes, this line is very inbred!)
7. Sibbel Shepley = James Scripture
8. Oliver Scripture = Mary Goddard Bucknam
9. Mary Elizabeth Scripture = George Rogers Tarbox
10. Nellie F. Tarbox = Calvin Segee Adams
11. Charles Edwin Adams = Annie Maude Stuart
12. Vernon Tarbox Adams = Hazel Ethel Coleman
13. George Michael Sabo = Doris Priscilla Adams
14. Linda Anne Sabo Stufflebean – Me!

On Monday, I will share the three earlier generations of Bacons in Suffolk County, England.