In the last few posts, I’ve been trying to identify the children and grandchildren of my 8 x great grandfather, Captain William Greene of Ratcliffe, Stepney, who died in 1686. The previous two posts have explored the lives of two men – both named William Greene – who might have been Captain Greene’s son. Both had children named William and Mary – the names of Captain Greene’s grandchildren, as mentioned in his will.
In this post, I want to report what I’ve discovered about another member of the Greene family who might have been related to my ancestor. This man, Edward Greene, certainly had a son named William, though I haven’t found any record of him having a daughter named Mary. However, in his favour are two facts: like Captain Greene, he was a mariner, and he lived in Ratcliffe.
The church of St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney
On 21st May 1671, Edward Greene, a mariner of Ratcliffe, and his wife Mary, had a daughter Elizabeth christened at the church of St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney. On 24th July 1673, the same couple had a son Edward baptised at the same church. On 9th May 1676, they had a son named Axel christened. I understand that this unusual name was an adaptation of a Hebrew name and was popular among Puritans. One source claims that Axel was buried at St Dunstan’s in September in the same year. On 3rd September 1677, a son named William was christened, and on 30th November 1679, their last child, Peter was baptised.
Ratcliffe
I haven’t been able to find any other records for members of this family. The dates would certainly make it feasible for Edward Greene to be the son of Captain William Greene. If Edward was married to Mary by 1670 at the latest, he would need to have been born by 1650 at the latest. Since William Greene was born in 1626, it’s perfectly possible for him to have had a son at this date. And it’s likely that his son would have lived in the same village and followed the same occupation. However, at this stage, it’s impossible to confirm this theory.
Past Lives 