These research notes are provided as-is and contain supplementary working research.
Finding
Candidate D eliminated: 1662 London residence incompatible with the colonial John's 1662/3 death
Candidate D -- John Gurney, son and executor of Robert Gurney of Old Change -- remained visible in London records through the 1662 hearth tax, while the colonial John Gurney of Braintree had already lived a documented Massachusetts life and died at Boston about March 1662/3. That continuing London tax presence is incompatible with the Braintree emigrant's colonial residence and death; Candidate D and the colonial emigrant are not the same person, and Candidate D is eliminated.
Date: 1662 hearth tax; colonial John's death about March 1662/3
Why this conclusion
- Synthesizes Analysis The elimination scaffold: structural grounds, not a blanket same-surname suspicionCross-unit: Candidate D's elimination applies the shared matching-criteria/elimination scaffold (continuing English residence across the emigrant's colonial years).
- Supported by Negative result Candidate D: no wife Mary or matching children foundThe missing wife Mary and matching children give the elimination a second, independent ground beyond the hearth-tax chronology.
- Synthesizes Evidence Candidate D: Robert Gurney's 1625 will and the 1623/4 Drapers' freedom by redemptionThe elimination finding synthesizes the identity anchor (Robert's will and John's 1623/4 Drapers' freedom).
- Synthesizes Evidence Candidate D: continuing London presence, St Augustine 1638-1662The elimination finding synthesizes the 1638-1662 continuing-London-presence evidence.
Related context
- Provides context for Evidence 1663 probate inventory: itemized movable estate (£55 14s 6d)Cross-unit: the colonial John's 1663 estate inventory is the primary record fixing his own death timing against which the 1662 London hearth-tax entry is read as incompatible.
Topic file location: Identity — Candidate D: London Draper, Old Change
Technical details
- Research item:
G13-RI-000123 - Graph revision:
244 - Machine-readable JSON:
/assets/g13-graph/findings/G13-RI-000123.json
This is one research item from the John Gurney research graph; the fuller narrative treatment is in the linked topic above and the research library.