Martha Bliss - Wife of Nicholas Ide: her identity, birthplace, parentage

2534. Thomas BLYSS, born Abt. 1588 in Little Preston, Northamptonshire, England; died Bef. May 1649 in Rehoboth, Bristol Co, Massachusetts. He was the son of 5068.John BLYSS and 5069. Agnes OLD. He married 2535. Dorothy WHEATLEY 22 Nov 1614 in Daventry, Northamptonshire, England.

2535. Dorothy WHEATLEY, born 22 Aug 1591 in Maiden Newton, Dorsetshire, England; died Aft. Apr 1646 in Rehoboth, Bristol Co, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of 5070. Frank WHEATLEY and 5071. Mary FIENNES.

Children of Thomas BLYSS and Dorothy WHEATLEY are:

i. Elizabeth BLYSS, born 19 Sep 1615 in Daventry, Northamptonshire, England; died Feb 1676 in Rehoboth, Bristol Co., Massachusetts; married ThomasWILMARTH, Ensign 18 Sep 1640 in Rehoboth, Bristol Co., Massachusetts; born Abt. 1620 in England; died 10 Apr 1690 in Rehoboth, Bristol Co., Massachusetts.
1267
ii. Mary BLYSS, born 16 Mar 1617 in Daventry, Devonshire, England; died Bef. 1679 in Braintree, Norfolk Co, Massachusetts; married Nathaniel HARMON Abt. 1638 in Braintree, Norfolk Co, Massachusetts.
iii. Jane BLYSS, born 14 Jan 1619 in Daventry, Northampton, England; died 16 Sep 1621 in Daventry, Northampton, England.
iv. John BLYSS, born 12 Nov 1620 in Daventry, Northamptonshire , England; died Abt. 1635 in Daventry, England.
v. Nathaniel BLYSS, born 08 Dec 1622 in Rohoboth, Bristol Co., Massachusetts; died 18 Nov 1654 in Springfield, Hampden Co., Massachusetts; married Catherine CHAPIN; born 06 Apr 1630 in Pomroy, Devonshire, England; died 08 Nov 1654 in Springfield, Hampton Co., Massachusetts.
vi. Martha BLYSS, born 08 Dec 1622 in Daventry, Northamptonshire , England; died 03 Nov 1676 in Rehoboth, Bristol Co., Massachusetts; married Nicholas IDE (HYDE) Abt. 1647 in Springfield, Hampden Co., Massachusetts.
vii. Thomas BLYSS, born 19 Sep 1624 in Daventry, Northampton, England; died 15 Apr 1688 in Norwich, New London Co., Connecticut; married Elizabeth BIRCHARD 30 Oct 1644 in Lyme, New London, Connecticut.
viii. Jonathan BLYSS, born 11 Mar 1626 in Daventry, Northampton, England; died 06 Sep 1678 in Rehoboth, Bristol Co., Massachusetts; married Miriam HARMON Abt. 1648 in Rehoboth, Bristol Co., Massachusetts; born Bef. 1630 in Massachusetts; died 21 May 1706 in Rehoboth, Bristol Co., Massachusetts.

Rehoboth Discovery
Descendants of Thomas Bliss (c 1588-1647) will be delighted to hear that a long – standing problem regarding his relationship has now been resolved.
For many years it was presumed that Thomas’ wife, Dorothy (Wheatley) died shortly after arriving in New England & that Thomas remarried a widow Ide, who had a son, Nicholas. He was mentioned as “son in law” in Thomas Bliss’ will of 1647, but it was assumed that he was in fact Thomas’ stepson.
In February, 1999, whilst comparing entries in Ty Bliss’ genealogy with our own records, etc., I discovered discrepancies concerning the children of Thomas & Dorothy’s children. All their known children were baptized at the Church of Holy Cross, Daventry, England. It was obvious there were errors, either in our transcripts of the parish record or the records on which Ty based his genealogy.
I wrote to Northants Record Office requesting printouts of the doubtful entries in the Holy Cross PR. I also asked the archivist to confirm her interpretation of the entries in case the photocopies were difficult to read.
The photocopies were indeed almost illegible but, with the archivist’s confirmation of each event, we are satisfied that we now have true records of the family in Daventry. In this issue we only have space to mention the resolution of the major discrepancy.
The child of Thomas & Dorothy who was baptized Dec. ?, 1622 was Martha not Nathaniel.
Following the baptism Nathaniel (no 19) disappears from Ty’s genealogy. However a footnote in Ty’s book says that Nicholas Ide was married 16 May 1647 at Springfield, Ma. To Martha whose surname is supposed by some to have been Bliss. It now seems perfectly clear that Martha Ide was the child born to Thomas & Dorothy Bliss at Daventry. Nicholas Ide was therefore truly Thomas Blisse’s son in law as stated in his will.

Hello Nancy Stevens. I just now ran across your report in Geni responding to a statement I wrote in March 2012 questioning whether a "Martha" who married Nicholas Ide on 16 May 1647 in colonial MA was the daughter of Thomas Bliss (c 1588-1647) and his wife Dorothy Wheatley originally of Daventry England. I'm sorry this passed me by until now. Based on what you say, that you were informed by a reliable British archivist concerning Martha's identity as the child Thomas and Dorothy baptized at the Church of Holy Cross on December 1622, I am revising my Ancestry.com tree to list this Martha Bliss as my ancestress. If this is true, then we are 9th cousins, as Geni tells me. Thanks for all your work on this!
Sarah Luella Kemble