265. Dorothy/Dorite Burge/Burgess⁵ (Patience Freeman⁴, Rebecca Prence³,  Patience² Brewster, William¹) was born in Sandwich, Mass., 12 November 1670,[1] the daughter of Joseph and Patience (Freeman) Burge. The surname is found under the spellings of Burg, Burge, Burgess, Burgis and Burgess. Dorothy died, place and date undocumented, probably in Rochester, Mass., after 10 April 1725, when her mother deeded to her, and before 1 June 1727, as she did not acknowledge or release dower rights in a deed executed by her husband.[2]

Dorothy married, place and date undocumented, probably in her home town of Sandwich about 1689, Savory Clifton,[3] who was probably born in England about 1665,[4] parentage undetermined.[5] Savory died, place and date undetermined, probably in Rochester, after 25 October 1753, when he joined in an indenture.[6]

No record of the marriage of Dorothy Burgess and Savory Clifton has been found. Proof of the marriage has been ascertained through the will of Joseph Burgess of Rochester, dated 5 August 1695 and proved 3 October 1695, in which he named his daughter "Dorrity" Clifton and gave her a bequest of 20 shillings.[7] Additional evidence of support for the marriage was found when the children of Joseph Burge of Rochester, late deceased, executed a deed 17 March 1714/5, which relinquished and discharged to their brother, Benjamin Burge, all their right in land which had belonged to their father. Said deed was signed by Savorill (sic) Clifton, Dorothy Clifton (her mark), Edward Rose (his mark), Rebecca Rose (her mark), and Ichabod Burge. Witnesses were Charity Parker (her mark) and John Hammond.[8] On 10 April 1725, (her mother) "Patience Burge of Rochester, widow of Joseph Burge," acquitted and discharged to (her son) Benjamin Burge, yeoman, and (her daughter) Dorothy, the wife of Clifton Savory, "my right in a share of land in Middleboro, which was formerly in the right of Governor Prence . . . I am heir to a part of the same."[9]

A member of the Society of Friends, Savory Clifton was one of the grantees named 17 October 1717, to whom Shubael Barlow deeded a tract of land `where on the Quaker meeting house now stands.”[10]

Savory Clifton of Rochester appears on the Plymouth County land records numerous times as both grantor and grantee. On 15 September 1690, Savory purchased from [Page 3] John Cotton, Plymouth, minister, one‑half of his 20 acre grant of land in Rochester and his whole sea lot (salt meadow).[11] On 16 March 1698 he exchanged 40 acres of this #21 salt meadow lot in Rochester's last division with Samuel Arnold for lot #25 in second division on the Sippecan River.[12] Small portions of Reverend Cotton's original share were sold off by Savory on 4 June 1706 to John Hammond, on 18 November 1708 to Anthony Coombs, and on 8 February 1720/1 to Joseph Prince.[13] In December 1709, Savory Clifton enlarged his holdings through a purchase from John Hammond of 22½ acres, which bordered the east side of land previously had of Samuel Arnold.[14] On 28 August 1716 he sold land to John Summers and on 10 March 1716/7, he exchanged a piece of land with John Wing, Sr.[15] Savory Clifton was called "yeoman" on 6 March 1746, when he deeded to Jabez Hiller 8 acres adjoining Hiller's homestead at the Fall River.[16]

Among the members of his family with whom Savory Clifton executed deeds is a deed of love and affection for his son Benjamin Clifton of Rochester, yeoman, dated 1 June 1727, which gave him 13 acres, 16 rods of land at Cramsett Neck in Rochester.[17] There were also deeds to his daughter Hannah Hathaway, dated 24 December 1750, and to his grandson Timothy Clifton, dated 24 December 1751.[18]

No death or probate records have been found for Savory Clifton, but he was living as late as 25 October 1753, when he joined with Shubael Barlow and Nicholas Davis, all of Rochester, on the one part, and Benjamin Wing, Seth Hiller, yeoman, Phillip Turner, blacksmith, Samuel Tripp, weaver, all of Rochester and Nathan Davis of Dartmouth, yeoman, on the other part, in an indenture which deeded six acres of the 200 acre grant of Aaron Barlow's, that tract on which stood the Meeting House of the Quakers at Rochester.[19]

Children (Clifton), born in Rochester, Mass.:[20]

     1. Benjamin⁶, born 1 August 1690.

     2  Patience, born 2 March 1693, probably died young.¹³

     3. Margaret/Margirit, born 3 November 1695.

     4. Jane, born 15 February 1697.

     5  *Dorothy, born 25 March 1699.

     6. Sarah, born Thursday, 15 October 1702.

     7. Lydia/Lidia, born Tuesday, 29 May 1705.

     8. Bathsheba/Barsheba, born Sunday, 9 May 1708.

     9. Mary, born Tuesday, 10 April 1711.

   10. Savory/Savery, born Wednesday, 15 July 1713; may have died young.

   11. Hannah, born Friday, 21 June 1717.

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*NOTE:  The General Society of Mayflower Descendants has accepted membership based on lineage documented through Dorothy Clifton who was born in Rochester 25 March 1699, and married on 3 January 1720/1, to Samuel Wing. MacLean W. McLean, F.A.S.G., has also placed her as the daughter of Savory and Dorothy (Burgess) Clifton in his article in NGSQ 59:168 (1971). Their children were Jemima, Daniel, Deborah and Bamabas, names which represented the paternal grandparents and other Wing family members, but were not representative of the reputed maternal grandparents or the Brewster family.

Of concern to this compiler is the fact that the Index to the Book of Birth Records of Rochester listed the births of all of the children of Clifton Savory, with the exception of the fifth child, for which there is only a blank space with a line drawn through it. The published vital records of births in Rochester printed Dorothy as the name of the fifth child of Savory and Dorothy (Burgess) Clifton but examination of the original page containing the birth record shows a marking over on the entry of the name of the fifth child. The first letter appears distinctly as a "D." Thereafter it is difficult to read. Strike over of the lettering makes deciphering the entry impossible. Use of the imagination allows one to read the strikeover as either Dorothy or Deborah. The last letter is definitely a "y." This creates a question as to how the name should be read. The index was never amended to show this addition of name. It is unknown when the name was entered on the record under the births or who and what primary source evidence determined the name to be Dorothy Clifton, as was in the Vital Record book published in 1914.

A problem arises with the knowledge that reputedly there was a contemporary female bearing the name Deborah Clifton. This Deborah Clifton reputedly married Joseph Wing, son of Jashub and Anna (Hoxie) Wing in the fifth month of 1725. Joseph and Deborah (Clifton) Wing had the following children born in Dartmouth, Mass.: Anna, Jabez or Savory (24 Oct 1729), Dorothy (1 May 1731), Jashub (1 Sep 1733), Paul (22 Jan 1736/7), Patience (6 July 1740), Josephus (16 July 1742). The given names of the first four Wing children do imply they may well belong in this family as Anna and Jashub would have been named for their paternal Wing grandparents and Savory and Dorothy might have been named after the reputed maternal Clifton grandparents.

It has been suggested that Dorothy and Deborah Clifton might have been twins. In view of the fact that there was empty space both above and below the illegible entry beginning with the "D," it appears unlikely that the scribe would elect to write over the original birth entry leaving it illegible, rather than enter an additional name in the space above or below, if there was a twin child. The striking over seems to indicate the specific intention to correct a single name.

The surname of Deborah, wife of Joseph Wing should be further explored. The marriage record must be located to ascertain that her surname was Clifton. Might she actually be an unidentified Clifton daughter?

Need a thorough deed search for all land transactions by these Wings and proof of parentage before accepting descent through either Dorothy or Deborah Clifton again!