According to Threlfall’s GMC50352, Peter Brackett “of Sudbury, Suffolk, England, was born about 1580-85. His wife’s name was Rachel. Taken ill in the prime of his life, he made his will 18 August 1616 and died a week later. He was buried on 25 August at All Saints, Sudbury. One must wonder what fatal malady it was, which gave him so little hope of recovery that he prepared for death. Three days after his burial, the 28th, his widow proved his will. Except for the religious preamble, it is given in full below. From it, one learns that he left three small children and his wife was expecting a fourth within a few weeks.

“Peter Brackett was apparently a substantial citizen, for he owned a house in another parish which was rented out, and the rent from this he left to his father for life. [A transcript of Peter Brackett’s will is inserted here.]

“After being left a widow, Rachel doesn’t appear in any other English records yet found for two years. Then, however, she remarried to Martin Saunders, a currier of Sudbury.

“On or about 10 April 1635, Martin Saunders, Rachel, and their seven minor children, and also her daughter Rachel (Brackett) Newcomb and her husband Francis and two [p. 74] children, all set sail from London aboard the Planter, Nicholas Trerice, Master. They arrived 7 June following. On the passenger list, Martin and Rachel are listed as aged 40 and from Sudbury. With them also were three servants: Mary Fuller age 15, Richard Smith age 14, and Richard Ridley age 16. No more is known about these three young servants. Now the ages given on the passenger list for the Saunders family members were mere estimates on the part of the clerk, as can be shown in the case of the children. Martin and Rachel were apparently nearer 45, or born around 1590, which would make her about 18 at the birth of her first child and 42 at the birth of the last one.

“The Bracketts, Newcombs and Saunders, all from Sudbury, all settled in that part of Boston which was soon set off as the town of Braintree. Rachel Saunders was of course the mother of Richard and Peter Brackett, of Rachel Newcomb, and the Saunders children.

“Rachel Saunders was admitted to the Boston church on 8 November 1635, the same time as was Richard Brackett’s wife, Alice. On 16 April 1639 she was dismissed to the new Braintree church.

“Rachel died at Braintree 15 September 1651. Martin Saunders remarried 23 May 1654 to Elizabeth Bancorft, widow of Roger. When his son John was about to marry Mary Munjoy, he deeded him some of his land.

“Martin Saunders died 4 August 1658, having made his will 5 July preceeding.” An abstract of the inventory of Martin Saunders’s estate follows.

For data from Threlfall’s GMC50 on Martin Saunders see under Peter Brackett, the first husband of Martin’s first wife Rachel.