Agnes (Butler) Rolfe - Is Agnes's maiden name Butter, or Butler?

http://ketchrepublik.com/28694.thomas_butler.html

It has long been supposed that the mother of the children of Henry Sherman the elder was Agnes née Butter — which, due to a careless misreading, has often been written "Butler," leading to ludicrous speculations about her ancestry. This is because Pierce Butter of Colchester, in his will dated August 1599, proved 20 November 1600, named his "cousin Harry Sherman," and appointed his "loving friend Henry Sherman the elder" one of his executors. However, Mrs. Stratton has pointed out that John Wood of Dedham, clothier, left a will dated 8 March 1576/7, proved 2 April 1577, witnessed by Henry Sherman the elder, naming "my cousin Henry Sherman the younger."

Can of worms opened …
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https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Rolfe-24

The FindaGrave page for Henry Rolfe (and many family trees) states that he married Agnes Butler (or Butter or Boteler) in 1549 and that Agnes had been born in Dedham, Essex in 1521 and died in Dedham, Essex in 1580.[4] While the 1555 will of Thomas Butler (or Butter) of Dedham indeed references a daughter named Agnes Rolfe,[5] there is no evidence that the Rolfe that Agnes Butter married was this profile's Henry Rolfe. It is, in fact, very unlikely that Henry of Hamptworth's spouse would have been born or died in Dedham which is about 170 miles from Hamptworth. It is also unlikely that Henry of Hamptworth would have had a spouse that died in 1580, since she is not mentioned in his 1558 will. It is most likely that, if Agnes Butler/Butter/Boteler married a Henry Rolfe, she married a Henry Rolfe of the more proximate Norfolkshire line of Rolfes (perhaps a relative of Robert Rolfe of Heacham, Norfolkshire).

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Disconnecting Agnes as wife of Henry Rolfe of Hamptworth

5. Genealogical Research in England," The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol LXXVI (October 1922), p 279

GoogleBooks

So - we have Will evidence she was Agnes Butter, daughter of Thomas Butter, and was called Agnes Rolfe in 1555. Who was her husband?

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Butter-186

Agnes wasn't married to Henry Sherman, at the same time Agnes was married to Rolfe, Henry Sherman was married to a Agnes, possibly the daughter of Robert Perpoynt.

It is apparent that Agnes Butter the wife of Rolfe, and Henry Sherman's spouse have been mixed up together, resulting in an overlap of dates and children.

The burial date of 14 October 1580, does not belong to this Agnes, rather it belongs to Henry Sherman's wife. Thomas Butter in his will identifies his daughter Agnes as: "my daughter Agnes Rolfe", in the same will he idenifies Henry Sherman's wife as: "To Henry Sherman's wife." They were two different individuals. [3]

(Note - this Wikitree still identifies her as wife of Henry Rolfe of Hamptworth)

Agnes Butter was not a known wife of Henry Rolfe of Hamptworth

She was married to a Rolfe, as named in her father’s Will, but which Rolfe I cannot so far ascertain.

Private User - which ancestor are you tracking?

that’s an erroneous pedigree.

Agnes is named my daughter Agnes Rolfe in the 1555 Will of Thomas Butter, clothier, of Dedham in county Essex. Thomas BUTTER (not Butler), parents unknown, was married twice, his first wife was not Joanne Sutton, in fact, we don’t know her name at all.

wife of Thomas Butter Was Not the daughter of Sir Edward Sutton, 2nd Baron Dudley & Cecily Sutton Thomas Butter of Dedham Wrote his Will in 1555:

• Will of Thomas Butter of Dedham, clothier, dated 20 Aug 1555.
• Wife Marion;
• sons William, eldest, and John;
• daughters: Alice Percyvall, Alice Butter my younger daughter, Sibell Butter, Margaret Butter, Faith, Mary, Grace, Ann and unborn child.
• Agnes Rolfe; Harry Sherman's wife; Mother Butter; Edward Luffleyn; Richard Laxton; Mr. Cook of Lungsam; Mother Spink; Mary Busshop, servant;
• grandson John Percyvall.
• Exors: eldest son William and Henry Sherman.
• Supervisors: William Pygott and Thomas Busshop of Dedham. *Witnesses: William Raynethorpe, clerk, John Rye the Elder, William Baynnyng, clothier.
• Proved 7 May 1556 (P.C.C. Ketchyn, 5)[2]

It gets worse. We don’t know which Rolfe Agnes Butter married - but it wasn’t Henry the husbandman.

Not the wife of Henry Rolfe of Hamptworth Not the same as Agnes Sherman

Thomas Butter (1500 - 1555) was married twice, his first eight children from his 1st marriage: (Note: Haven't found proof of his 1st wife's name.)[1].

5. Agnes Butter, born about 1529, married to Rolfe [she wasn't the spouse of Henry Sherman, in Thomas' will he identifies all his daughters, he didn't do the same thing with Henry Sherman's spouse.] my daughter Agnes Rolfe only excepted

Henry Rolfe of Hamptworth Was not a known son of Henry Rolfe, II and we don’t know the name of his wife; she’s not mentioned in his 1558 Will so presumed deceased.

He names his underage children, Margaret Rolfe and Richard Rolfe, Sr.

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Which ancestor are you tracking?

Was Captain John Rolfe, Ancient Planter the son of Edmund Rolfe of Narford & his wife Katherine Rolfe

https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/b/r/a/Glenn-D-Braunstein-CA/WEBSITE-0... Thinks so but doesn’t offer any citations.

You’re looking the wrong Henry Rolfe. Can you give me a link to what you see so I can steer you in a better direction?

The Henry Rolfe who (didn’t) marry Agnes Butter was a husbandman. No royalty there.

If you’re looking at a site like this, you’re being led the wrong way. It’s all garbled up.

https://mckaystevens.us/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I16045&tree=1

Joane Sutton is the same person as Jane Joan? Fiennes As you can see, she was not married to a Rolfe.

Agnes Butter Rolfe was the daughter of Thomas Butter of Dedham who was not a son of Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond

And Agnes Butter was not married to Henry Sherman, of Dedham & Colchester that’s an old genealogical error.

Edward Franz’ description was very helpful. I could match Elizabeth Barkham - who had a brother Henry Rolfe. This Heacham in Norfolk line of Rolfe’s is “landed gentry” and indeed is probably linked to nobility.

But as we can see from this discussion, it’s not the best researched line!

I think it’s this Robert Rolfe, of Sporle you’re looking for, perhaps.

Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, KB is Robert Rolfe, of Sporle's 7th great grandson. https://www.geni.com/path/Robert-Rolfe-of-Sporle+is+related+to+Admiral-Horatio-Nelson-1st-Viscount-Nelson-KB?from=6000000006900902159&path_type=blood&to=6000000004149027562

We’re getting there. There were a lot of internet tree mistakes to wade through.

We’ve done a lot of correcting because of your question, so many thanks for that. Henry Rolfe (d 1558) left a Will, so we know he only had two children and a wife who was not living at that time. Bonus - better tree for Admiral Nelson and Diana Spencer.

Erica Howton -- do you have a link to the document that originally caused the problem? I don't doubt that there was a misreading, but I would really like to see how the misreading happened -- I would not usually expect the t to be mistaken for an l in Elizabethan Secretary Hand.

So, just interested in seeing how it happened.

The quote

Is from http://ketchrepublik.com/ARTIFACTS/28694.new_england_historical_gen...

(Print page 252, PDF page 13)

It has long been supposed that the mother of the children of Henry Sherman the elder was Agnes née Butter — which, due to a careless misreading, has often been written “Butler,” leading to ludicrous speculations about her ancestry. This is because Pierce Butter of Colchester, in his will dated August 1599, proved 20 November 1600, named his “cousin Harry Sherman,” and appointed his “loving friend Henry Sherman the elder” one of his executors.[48]

48 Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 68 Wallop, PROB11/96/235, abstracted in G. Andrews Moriarty, “Genealogical Research in England: Butter,” Register 76 (1922):278–95, at 280–81.

The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2018.)

https://www.americanancestors.org/DB202/i/11627/281/23550834

Is the abstraction of Butter wills. The first is Pierce Butter - and there’s a famous Piers Butler, 8th earl of Ormonde.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Piers Butler, 8th earl of Ormonde". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Nov. 2010, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Piers-Butler-8th-Earl-of-Ormonde. Accessed 7 January 2022.

I don’t think this was a handwriting issue, actually.

I think it’s family genealogists indulging in wishful thinking when they were putting together Sherman pedigrees.