Culimination of Research
Here is a culmination of what we've found in our research:
Joyce's maiden name was Baker, from her marriage record to Nicholas Butler. (1)(2) Her father's name was Richard, and most books cite that he was a miller of Ashford and his wife's name was Margaret. (1) Administration of Richard's will speaks of children: Thomas, Joane, Joyce, and Mary Baker. Thomas supposedly mentioned his sister Joyce in a will, to which Nicholas Butler was a witness. (20) Joyce's mother's maiden name is shown in the will of Christopher Merry of Ashford. Christopher mentions his daughter Margaret "Hawker" (Margaret had remarried John Harker, as shown below) and her children Thomas, Joane, Joyce, and Mary Baker. This means the names of Joyce's parents were Richard Baker and Margaret Merry. (24).
Joyce and Nicholas Butler are registered in the parishes for Ashford, county Kent, under both the name Baker and Butler. (16) It reads, in order:
"1604 Sep 5 buried [Richard?} (Baker) householder."
"1604 (*most likely 1605) Jan 18 married Margaret (Baker), widow & John Harker."
"1623 Jan 22 married Joyce (Baker) & Nicholas Butler, widow."
"1625 Feb 1 married Mary (Baker) & Thomas Boulding."
The Richard Baker mentioned is almost certainly Joyce's father, as the Margaret Baker mentioned afterwards is her mother. John Harker, Margaret's second husband, was also a miller of Ashford, and in his will he mentions the children of Thomas Boulding (who married Mary Baker above) along with his own children. (25) This would mean Mary (Baker) Boulding was Joyce's sister Mary, who was mentioned in the will of Christopher Merry and Richard Baker.
It is also likely Joyce's sister Joanne later went to New England after her sister. An "Anne Baker" married a Thomas Bayes there, and settled on Martha's Vineyard, right where Joyce and Nicholas Butler lived.
A genealogy book from 1967 ties Joyce's family of the Bakers of Sissinghurst, showing her grandparents as Thomas Baker and Griselda Barnes, and states her family resided in Kent for many generations. (3) This Baker family came from Cranbrook, a small town about twenty miles north of Ashford (14), and held four manor houses near there. (15)
Joyce is mentioned in 1630 in the will of Henry Vanner, alderman of Canterbury, as "cousin Joyce" daughter of "Richard Baker deceased", married to "Nicholas Butler." (4) Henry Vanner was connected to the Bakers of Sissinghurst, through his wife. He married Ursula Rooke, who was the grandaughter of Sir Reginald Scott. Ursula Rooke's aunt, Catharine Scott, married John Baker, who was the brother of Sir Richard Baker, father of the Thomas Baker who married Griselda Barnes. Basically, Ursula Rooke's aunt Catharine was Thomas Baker's aunt by marriage.
This suggests that it is likely Joyce and her father Richard were also connected to this same Baker family from Sissinghurst. It is possible that Joyce's mother, Margaret Merry, may also have been related to the Scott or Vanner family in some way. It's interesting to note that Scot's Hall was also located near Ashford, Kent. (10)
Thomas Baker and Griselda had a son Richard who would have been the right age to be Joyce's father. At the time of Griselda's death, in 1589, she leaves an eleven year old son Richard, which would put his birthdate around 1578. (6) Richard is mentioned in the will of William Petre's wife Anne, who died in 1582 (26). Along with mentioning nephew John Baker and his wife Mary (Guildfoul), Anne Petre says: " To Richard son and heir apparent of my nephew Thomas Baker and to Griselda his wife £30 to make him a chain." (12) There is an early recording from Essex in 1558 that has Griselda Barnes and Thomas Baker as having a son Richard. (7) However, since Thomas Baker and Griselda didn't marry until 1572, this was probably added into the visitation later.
It also seems that Joyce came from and/or married into a family that was well off, so it's not unlikley that Thomas and Griselda (Barnes) Baker could have been her grandparents. Her husband was always referred to as Mr. Butler or Mr. Nicholas Butler in records, which for the time was a sign of wealth, and they came over from England with their children and four servants. (One of whom, Simon Athearn, most likely married her granddaughter). Their son Henry was a graduate of Harvard in 1651, and he is referred to as "Sir Buttler" when staying there. (23) In 1653 Nicholas Butler was one of the "five men to end controversies," in other words a magistrate. Joyce is also refered to as "Mrs. Joyce Butler." Her will values her estate at £165-2-0, and names many of her descendents.
Henry Butler, Joyce's son, after graduating from Harvard in Cambridge, also went back to England, where he had children and became a Vicar of Yeovil, while facing controversy there. The Bakers of Sissinghurst had a history of being religiously controversial - they remained a Catholic family in a time when England became very Protestant.
A short biography of Henry Butler:
"Yeovil, [V.] Mr. Henry Butler, M. A. Of Cambridge university. He was born in Kent. When he was about 30 years of age he took a voyage into New-England, with several others, for the free exercise of their religion, and continued there 11 or 12 years in the work of the ministry, and teaching university learning."
"Returning into England, he spent a year or two in Dorchester, and then settled at Yeovil, where he continued public minister till Aug. 24, 1662. He continued his ministry afterwards in that town, and in other places, as he had opportunity; and was often convicted, apprehended, and imprisoned. He suffered great losses by fines and seizures of his goods, and was often forced to remove from his habitation. At length he settled at a place in this county called Withamfrary, about 5 miles from Frome, where he was pastor of a congregation; and no danger from enemies, weather, or indisposition of body, hindered him from meeting his people, either in private houses, or in Sir Edward Seymour's woods, as was thought most safe: and tho' it was with difficulty and hazard that they met together, the congregation grew, and he did much good. Tho' he had not 20 l. per annum to live upon till about two years before his death, no offers of worldly advantage would tempt him to leave his charge. He was much afflicted with the stone in the latter part of his life, and yet continued his labours among his people as his strength would permit. He died April 24, 1696, aged 72. His last words were, 'A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.'" (20) (However, the author Calamy got a few of the dates wrong, see here (22))
In 1672, Henry Butler was also at the house of an "Elias Barnes" in Yeovil, Somerset. (21) There was also a Joshua Barnes who lived in Martha's Vineyard, as well as a Joseph Merry, one of the older settlers of the vineyard. Joseph Merry married an Elizabeth Parkhurst, whose parents George Parkhurst and Phebe have been connected to the same family of Parkhursts that married into the same Baker family as Joyce's. (27)
Some familiar names:
Also, Joyce's brother's name was Thomas, (in whose will she is mentioned), which was a family name of the Bakers of Sissinghurst, and Joyce would have had a cousin Joyce or Joessa, daughter of Thomas Baker's uncle John Baker and Mary Guildfoul. This Joyce married Sr John Tyrell of Heron. (8)(9) Henry was also a child of John Baker and Mary Guildfoul. It is interesting to note that Joyce and Nicholas Butler also had a son Henry. There was also Henry Vanner, as well as his sister Joanne, one of Joyce's sister's names. (19)
Griselda's family also married into a Butler family; a relative Mary Barnes (sometimes spelled Berners) married a John Butler. The Butlers were the last of that family to hold Thoby, a manor previously owned by Thomas and Griselda. (11)
(Joyce also was not the daughter of Richard Baker and Margaret Mainwaring, son of John Baker and Catharine Scott, because this Richard was alive until 1645, when her father died in 1604. (10) )
Note:
There is a will that is cited as being Thomas Baker's, from 1626. In it, he names children Richard, Elizabeth, and Thomas, as well as his second wife Constance. However, this Richard is not the Richard whose mother was Griselda Barnes. It appears that the Richard in the will may not have yet been 21 at the time of the will's making, puting his birthdate somewhere around 1600-1610, and also suggesting this Richard was a son of Constance Kingsmill. This might be possible, considering that Richard Baker may have died in 1604, and perhaps Thomas may have named another son after him. There is also the possibility that this Thomas Baker who made the will may not have been the same Thomas Baker who married Griselda Barnes, and may in fact be his son.
Also registered in the names at Ashford is the burial of a John Baker on April 29th 1596 (16). If Richard was the son of Thomas and Griselda, this John Baker could have been his uncle. A quote from a site researching the Bakers of Sissinghurst (15) states:
"Richard [father of Thomas] presented Queen Elizabeth with a 117 ounce silver-gilt cup [in roughly 1573]. Several days later, Queen Elizabeth knighted Richard Baker. Richard, who died in 1594, passed Sissinghurst to his son John Baker, who died in 1596."
However, in 1585, there was also a John Baker born, son of Nicholas Baker, born in Ashford, and this could be the John Baker written about in the register.
1. From History of Martha's Vineyard Book (in sources)
2. England Select Marriages, 1538-1973 (in sources)
3. The Ancestral Lines of Truman Dixon Palmer and Emma Calista Barrett with Descendants Copyright 1900 pages 64-5 (in sources) Says from 1967 here: http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/db.aspx?dbid=21111
4. Found from http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/GEN-MEDIEVAL/2008-12/1228432318 who cites will.
5. Found from http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/GEN-MEDIEVAL/2008-12/1228432318 who cites 1619 Kent Visitation.
6. Ingatestone and the Essex Great Road with Fryerning pages 27-28 (in sources)
7. Can be seen at: http://johnsonfamily.talldude.net/gensource/view_source/2145/barnes-the-visitations-of-essex-by-hawley-1552-hervey-1558-cooke-1570-part-1
8. http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=hwbradley&id=I77489
9. The visitations of Essex by Hawley, 1552; Hervey, 1558; Cooke, 1570; Raven, 1612; and Owen and Lilly, 1634: https://archive.org/stream/visitationsofess13metc#page/114/mode/2up (pages 113/114)
10. Richard Baker, Chronicler, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Baker_%28chronicler%29
11. Butler of Droitwich: 1300-1700: https://books.google.com/books?id=RYoMXDQdlFEC&pg=PA316&lpg=PA316&dq=%22Thomas+Baker%22+%22Grizzell%22&source=bl&ots=5tcyMG79IK&sig=P35VcPFTa3sB3pXzO2YnIHHlka0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiuj72L1NDJAhUGMGMKHYs2B_QQ6AEIHTAA#v=onepage&q=%22Thomas%20Baker%22&f=false
12. Publications, Issue 71 Essex Record Office 1978: https://books.google.com/books?id=lolnAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Thomas+Baker%22+%22Katherine%22+chain&dq=%22Thomas+Baker%22+%22Katherine%22+chain&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi5v-3spdjKAhVIwGMKHbQ0CUQQ6AEIKjAC
14. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies by John Burke, Sir Bernard Burke: (Section on Bakers of Sissinghurst in Cranbrook): https://books.google.com/books?id=DqkTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA32&dq=Kent+%22Sir+Richard+Baker%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiDqLrE99HJAhVI_WMKHdCZDysQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=Kent%20%22Sir%20Richard%20Baker%22&f=false
15. http://baker.canavancentral.com/sissinghurst.html
16. http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/01/ASH/01/00b.htm
17. Canterbury Marriage Licenses, edited by Joseph Meadows Cooper: https://books.google.com/books?id=e_UsAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA195&dq=%22Margaret+Baker%22+%22John+Harker%27&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiAys2bj9XJAhUCw2MKHYPSC5UQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=%22Margaret%20Baker%22%20%22John%20Harker%27&f=false
18. The Ancestry of Blanche Butler Ames and Adelbert Ames: https://books.google.com/books?id=RUAxAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Richard+Baker%22+%22Thomas%22+%22mary%22+%22joyce%22+ashford&dq=%22Richard+Baker%22+%22Thomas%22+%22mary%22+%22joyce%22+ashford&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-jO2ok9XJAhVC-mMKHYeGDFMQ6AEIKjAA
19. The history and topographical survey of the county of kent: https://books.google.com/books?id=ftxCAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA207&dq=%22Henry+Vanner%22+alderman+of+Canterbury&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi8uK-OhuHJAhUI82MKHQMzDcsQ6AEIIjAB#v=onepage&q=%22Henry%20Vanner%22%20alderman%20of%20Canterbury&f=false
20. http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Butler-1868 also https://books.google.com/books?id=ytHmAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA227&lpg=PA227&dq=%22Henry+Butler%22+Yeovil+%22Kent%22&source=bl&ots=2OGhO-QFJi&sig=2LCScpzdRHPFCirNdmoFHhapeCw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiAyYOAwK3KAhUS82MKHQIxA-cQ6AEILDAE#v=onepage&q=%22Henry%20Butler%22%20Yeovil%20%22Kent%22&f=false
24. http://johnsonfamily.talldude.net/christopher-merry-4334/genstory/323/will-of-christopher-merry