Alice Bradford (Morton) - Not Morton

I’ve just sent this mail to profile managers of 1st wife of William ‘Alice’ Bradford

What is the (current) evidence supporting Alice as daughter of Robert Morton, Esq. & Alice Morton

From https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/112135/unproven-royal-ancestry-of-gove...

unproven royal ancestry of Governor William Bradford

WikiTree currently shows that William Bradford's grandmother was Alice Morton, whose ancestry ties in to the web of English aristocrats with royal and Magna Carta ancestry. This is apparently based on a SUGGESTION in NEHGR, per this website: http://www.treetreetree.org.uk/Bradford.htm, citing Hunt, J. G., "A Possible Added Morton-Bradford Connection," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 111, 1957, 68.

The NEHGR list of Mayflower passengers states that the More children are the only Mayflower passengers with proven royal ancestry, so clearly this Bradford royal connection is speculative.

I would like to suggest that the parents of Alice (Morton?) Bradford be detached, and a note added to the profile with links to the speculative parents.

If you look at the detail at the bottom of page 4, you will see that:

8. Robert Morton, of Bawtry married 1) Alice Markham, daughter of Sir John Markham, and had three children:

i. JOHN, d. young,
9. ii. ANTHONY, of Bawtry, Esquire; buried in Eaworth Chapel.
iii. ANN, d. young.

This is from the book, George Morton of Plymouth Colony and some of his descendants, by Allen, John Kermott, (Publication date 1908).

The line of descent was supplied from "Familiae Minorum Gentium" by Joseph Hunter, Vol. I, p. 24, which could be inspected, in case the original did have a child “Alice.”

Additionally, it is known that pedigrees often enough left out children, especially daughters. This may have fueled the speculation published by the genealogist J.G. Hunt in NEHGR “Notes” 111:68 (1957)

This is from a screen shot at the Wikitree profile:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unknown-518539

https://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/0/03/Morton-40.png

The small print on the left reads:

Hunter’s Familiae Minorum Gentium p. 212 doesn’t have anything about Mortons. Mortons on p. 229-233 and 241-243 don’t mention a likely Anthony and don’t mention Alice.

Robert Morton, Esq. & Alice Morton are not known to have had a daughter [[1st wife of William ‘Alice’ Bradford 1st wife of William ‘Alice’ Bradford] “Alice”] who married William Bradford (d. 1596).

In fact, there seems to be no valid source for her name at all.

She’s been detached as a Morton daughter. If evidence warrants it, of course she can be re attached.