Alexander Wignall "Pilgrim-Planter"

Alexander Wignall (1575–May 1631), described in family material as “Pilgrim-Planter,” was an early Massachusetts Bay colonist recorded as applying for admission as a freeman on 19 October 1630 and taking the oath on 18 May 1631. He is identified as Barbara’s 11th great-grandfather through his daughter, Elizabeth Wignall Ingraham.

Alexander Wignall was born in 1575 and is reported to have died in May 1631. He is identified in this family line as the father of Elizabeth Wignall, later associated with the Ingraham family.

Family material states that Elizabeth Wignall married Richard Ingraham on 4 April 1628. The same material records Alexander Wignall’s application for admission as a freeman of Massachusetts on 19 October 1630 and his taking of the freeman’s oath on 18 May 1631. In both lists, his name appears with the respectful prefix “Mr.”

A published account quoted in the family notes observes that little is known of Wignall’s residence in New England and that no settlement location has been identified. It suggests, cautiously, that his placement near Capt. William Jennison on the lists may indicate an association, but notes that he does not appear at Watertown. The account’s “safest opinion” was that he arrived with the Winthrop fleet and soon returned home; this remains a historical interpretation rather than an established fact.

Alexander Wignall is Barbara’s 11th great-grandfather. The documented relationship path supplied for this line runs through Elizabeth Wignall Ingraham, Elizabeth Ingraham, Mehitable Bullock, Elizabeth West, Jeremiah Wheeler, Nancy Wheeler, Nancy Wheeler Arnold, Daniel Braley Tuthill, Phebe Celeste Tuthill, Nora Leslie Fox, Floyd Nelson Sherrell, and Doris Helen Sherrell.

Historical context

In Massachusetts Bay, admission as a freeman and the taking of the freeman’s oath were recorded by the colony. The family material places Alexander Wignall among men who applied for freeman status in October 1630 and among those who took the oath in May 1631. The prefix “Mr.” appears beside his name in both lists and was interpreted by the quoted source as a mark of respect, though it does not by itself establish his occupation, education, or property holdings.

Sources & research

A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, by Savage.

Genealogical Dictionary of New England Settlers, Volume 4, page 544. Included text: “Ore, Arethusa, tuo Siculis confunditur undis.”

Some Ancestor Lines, by Ramon Myers Tingley.

New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 3, p. 91.

Massachusetts Census, 1790–1890; MA Early Census Index. The supplied notes describe four entries for Alexander Wignall, with two reflecting the 19 October 1630 freeman application and two reflecting the 18 May 1631 freeman oath.

Massachusetts Bay Colony, “Freemen to take the Oath: 1630,” submitted by Janice Farnsworth; includes Mr. Alexander Wignall among applicants for freeman status on 19 October 1630.

Massachusetts Bay Colony Oath of Freeman 1631–2, “Names of such as took the Oath of Freemen,” 18 May 1631; includes Mr. Alexander Wignall and notes his application of 19 October 1630.

MayflowerFamilies.com, cited in the supplied notes as providing additional details.