Although John Guild and Sarah Fisher were each the first generation of their families to be born in Massachusetts, they are the last generation of the Guild surname to appear in the family tree, as their daughter Judith married Nathaniel Briggs.

It took me quite a bit longer to compile the information for this family sketch, due to the digging I felt was necessary into the death date of Sarah (Fisher) Guild. More on that later, but I have solved her death date to my own satisfaction.

John Guild was born on 29 September 1649 in Dedham, Massachusetts, the son of John Guild and Elizabeth Crooke. Sarah Fisher was the daughter of Anthony Fisher and Johanna/Joan Faxin of Dedham, Massachusetts, born 25 October 1658, also in Dedham.

John and Sarah (Fisher) Guild were the parents of nine children (All events in Wrentham, then part of Suffolk County, Massachusetts, unless noted otherwise:

1. Bethiah, born 4 October 1678, Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts; died after 15 April 1735 when she lived in Attleboro, Bristol, Massachusetts; married Samuel Lane, 7 January 1702/03
2. Sarah, born 30 August 1680, Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts; died 7 December 1682; married Robert Blake, 2 January 1702/03
3. Sarah, born 3 June 1683; died 30 July 1757; married Robert Blake, 2 January 1702/03
4. Elizabeth, born 7 July 1685; died 14 November 1762, Canterbury, Windham, Connecticut; married William Puffer, 25 May 1710
5. Joanna, born 4 November 1687; died 31 January 1760, Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts; married Samuel Kingsbury, 12 May 1715
6. John, born 7 November 1690; died 24 January 1762; married (1) Mercy Foster, 11 June 1711. She died 3 May 1730. (2) Phebe Mann, 22 March 1732
7. Josiah, born 14 July 1694; died 20 March 1774, Keene, Cheshire, New Hampshire; married Deborah (MNU), c1715
8. Judith, born 19 September 1697; died 22 November 1774, Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts; married Nathaniel Briggs, 16 June 1720
9. Ebenezer, born 19 September 1700; died 13 September 1701

John Guild died on 24 January 1723 in Wrentham, is buried there and his gravestone is still standing and legible. When Sarah (Fisher) Guild died is uncertain. Most online trees state that she died in 1752, aged about 93-94 years and there isn’t a single source to support that death date nor primary evidence that supports her being alive later than 1706.

HOWEVER, I believe she died much, much earlier than that, based on a Suffolk County, Massachusetts land deed found in volume 76, pages 235-237.

The land sold had been owned by Anthony Fisher and was inherited by his widow and children after he died. The deed states that in the text. The widow was Joan Barber, widow of Capt. Barber and identified as previously the widow of Anthony Fisher. The other grantors are her surviving children and there spouses.

First important detail is that the original conveyance of land happened on 31 January 1706. John Guild and wife Sarah, of Wrentham, are among the grantees:

For some unknown reason, this sale was attested to multiple times. Now, see above where John “Guile” and wife Sarah are mentioned? Now look at the crop below. In Dedham on 8 September 1713, Joan Barber, Josiah Fisher, Eleazer Fisher, Judith Bullen [all children of Anthony and Joan Fisher] plus John Guild [son-in-law of Joan and no wife Sarah mentioned] to acknowledge the deed. No mention of Sarah being unable to appear in the courthouse is made and Sarah’s name is never found again in town or county records.

Furthermore, I recently posted a family sketch and mentioned that some of the Wrentham town records were in poor shape or lost, mainly records between 1704-1718. The years 1706-1713 fall smack in the middle of that range. I believe Sarah died between 31 January 1706 and 8 September 1713 and that her death record is among the handful of lost pages from the town clerk’s book.

There is no other scenario that makes sense.

John Guild died on 24 January 1723, but left no will or estate administration records.

John Guild and Elizabeth Crooke are the immigrant generation of my cousins’ Guild line, which eventually married into the Briggs and Tower families.

This couple is interesting because, although they married on 24 June 1645 in Dedham, (today) Suffolk, Massachusetts, neither and particularly Elizabeth arrived in New England with either of their parents. That might not be terribly surprising for a male over 21, but it is very unusual for a young unmarried female.

Elizabeth Crooke lived in Roxbury at the time of her marriage and one sister, Rebecca, was also living there are the time. However, Rebecca was also single and didn’t marry her husband, Peter Gardner, until eleven months after her sister, on 9 May 1646 in Roxbury.

Another mystery is the English origins of John and Elizabeth (Crooke) Guild. It is possible that John might be the son of Richard and Margery (Jorden) Guild of Ilketshall St. Margaret, Suffolk, England and that Elizabeth could be the daughter of Roger and Sarah (MNU) Crooke of Hammersmith, Middlesex, England who was baptized at St. Clement Danes Church on 19 July 1618.

However, as of today, no definite proof has been uncovered establishing the names of their parents.

Estimated birth years vary, not surprisingly, for this couple. Given that they married in 1645 and that grooms were typically about 25 and brides about 21 years old at the time of a first marriage, let’s estimate a birth year of 1620 for John Guild and 1624 for Elizabeth Crooke.

John and Elizabeth settled into life in Dedham, Massachusetts after their marriage and lived the rest of their lives in that town.

John and Elizabeth were the parents of seven children (All events in Dedham unless noted otherwise):

1. John, born 20 June 1646; died before 29 September 1649
2. Samuel, born 7 September 1647; died 1 January 1730; married Mary Woodcock, 29 September 1676
3. John, born 29 September 1649; died 24 January 1743, Wrentham, Norfolk, Massachusetts; married Sarah Fisher, 22 May 1677
4. Eleazer, born 30 September 1653; died 30 June 1655
5. Ebenezer, born 21 October 1657; died 21 April 1661
6. Elizabeth, born 11 November 1660; died 21 October 1740, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts; married George Robinson, 17 November 1680, Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts
7. Benjamin, born 25 May 1664; died before 4 October 1682

Elizabeth predeceased her husband, passing away on 31 August 1669 in Dedham.

John Guild left a will, leaving everything to his three surviving children, Samuel, John and Elizabeth. He died on 4 October 1682, also in Dedham, Massachusetts.