Mercy Ellis

Wife of Lt. Matthias Ellis of Sandwich, married about 1678/9. Nine children were recorded at Sandwich “of Matthias Ellis and Mercy Ellis his wife,” 1679/80-1699. Her husband’s will (1744) left “my Loveing wife Mercy” (so the image reads; the machine transcription has Mary) the use of “the Westerly End of My Now Dwelling house Both Lower & upper Rooms & the Leantue on the Back Side of it and the Seller under it” and of “my orchard Called the Little Orchard,” while she remained his widow, with “such and so much of my Household Goods as she shall think Necessary and Convenient,” and with their son Malachi to provide “Cloathing, firewood … and all necessaries & Conveniences of life for her comfort & Support Both in Sickness or health.” She and Malachi were his executors.

Freeman (1875) and Davis (1899) called Matthias’s wife “Mary Burgess.” The name probably came from his brother Manoah’s wife Mary; the Sandwich births and his will show she was Mercy.

For the Nye identification (Brownson and McLean, NEHGR 119:262, 265-266, not read directly; Nye 1907 p. 30, unsourced): Matthias Ellis Jr. witnessed the will of John Nye, her putative brother (proved 1722), and a later Nye will mentions woodland bought “of Mathias Ellis and William Bassett.” Against it: WikiTree’s summary of a deed of 9 June 1704 has Benjamin Nye giving his lands to his son Jonathan “in exchange for keeping himself, his wife Katherine and daughter Mercy in their infirmity,” which fits badly with a married daughter whose husband lived until 1748, unless the deed reads “Mercy Ellis.” None of her nine children has a Nye family name. Matthias’s brother Freeman also married a Mercy, so later “Mercy Ellis” entries are ambiguous. Mercy Nye (b. 8 Apr 1652) was not the only Sandwich girl of the right age: Mercy Wing, Mercy Wright and Mercy Lander were born there in 1650-52 [inferred, from the Sandwich births].

Open questions

• Was she Mercy Nye? Read Brownson and McLean directly, and find the wording of the 9 June 1704 Nye deed (Barnstable deeds burned in 1827; look for a later recorded copy or the Nye Family Association’s transcript).