Birth: Stephen Tracy is probably the person of that name
baptized in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk on December 28, 1596. If so, he
would have been born shortly before that day.
Death: He died sometime after March 1655, most probably in
Great Yarmouth.
Ship: Anne or Little James, 1623
Life in England: Nothing is known of Stephen Tracy’s life
in England. In March 20,1654/5, he gave power of attorney to John
Winslow to sell his property in Duxbury and divide it amongst his
children. At that point he described himself as “of Great Yarmouth in
old England.” If he is identical with the Stephen Tracy baptized there
in 1596 then Great Yarmouth was his original home.
Life in Holland: Stephen Tracy first appeared in the
Leiden city records at his betrothal to Tryphosa Lee on December 18,
1620. He was described as a “saeywercker,” a weaver of say, a fine
woolen fabric. In a poll tax listing in 1622, Stephen and Tryphosa were
living in “Zevenhuysen, ” a district next to St. Peter’s Church.
Life in New England: Stephen Tracy arrived in Plymouth in
the summer of 1623, aboard either the Anne or the Little James.
Tryphosa, however, remained behind.On May 1, 1624,Tryphosa was in
London, where she applied for a “license to pass from England beyond the
seas” on behalf of herself and daughter Sara. They most likely arrived
in Plymouth aboard the Jacob, which came to Plymouth in 1625. He
was a freeman of Plymouth in 1633, but moved to Duxbury by 1639. He
served on various committees and juries, and was a constable for
Duxbury.
Family: Stephen Tracy married Tryphosa Lee on January 3,
1621, in Leiden.
Children of Stephen and Tryphosa Tracy:
- Sarah was born about January 1623 in Leiden. She married George
Partridge in November 1638 and had seven children. She died between 1702
and 1708.
- Rebecca was born in Plymouth about 1625. She married William Merrick
around 1645 and had ten children. She died sometime after March 6,
1688/9.
- Ruth was born around 1628. She was mentioned in her father’s 1655
power of attorney, but nothing further is known.
- Mary was born around 1630. She was mentioned in her father’s 1655
power of attorney, but nothing further is known.
- John, born about 1632, married Mary Prence around 1661 and had five
children. He died May 3, 1710, in Windham, Connecticut.