Martha Bliss

Martha Bliss (8 Dec 1622–3 Nov 1676) was the wife of Nicholas Ide and is identified in the supplied relationship path as Barbara’s 10th great-grandmother. Her parentage has been disputed in the family-tree notes; those notes conclude that she was likely the daughter of Thomas Bliss and Dorothy Wheatlie rather than a daughter of Thomas Bliss and the Widow Ide.

Martha Bliss was born on 8 Dec 1622 and died on 3 Nov 1676. She was the wife of Nicholas Ide.

The supplied notes describe longstanding uncertainty about Martha’s parentage. One claim held that Thomas Bliss married the Widow Ide in England and that Martha was their daughter. The notes instead cite Charles A. Hoppin’s “Bliss Book” as finding that Thomas Bliss first married Dorothy Wheatlie at Daventry, England, and that Dorothy died in Massachusetts. They also cite Artemas Harmon’s “Harmon Genealogy” as stating that Thomas Bliss of Belstone married the Widow Ide in New England before 1647.

Thomas Bliss reportedly referred in his will to “my son-in-law Nicholas Ide.” Based on the sequence of claims summarized in the supplied notes, the notes conclude that Martha was the daughter of Thomas Bliss and Dorothy Wheatlie, rather than of Thomas Bliss and the Widow Ide. Because the material presents this conclusion in the context of a controversy, her parentage should be treated as needing documentary verification.

Martha Bliss appears in the supplied descent line as the mother of Capt. Timothy Ide I, continuing through the Ide, Braley, Tuthill, Fox, and Sherrell families to Doris Helen Sherrell.

Historical context

No broader historical context was supplied for Martha Bliss’s life.

Sources & research

Charles A. Hoppin, “Bliss Book,” cited in the original family-tree notes; publication details not supplied.
Artemas Harmon, “Harmon Genealogy,” cited in the original family-tree notes; publication details not supplied.
Original Family Tree Maker notes for Martha Bliss, including the report that Thomas Bliss named Nicholas Ide as his son-in-law in his will.