When Ruth Sargent was born on 24 January 1744, in Leicester, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, her father, Jonathan Sargeant IV, was 43 and her mother, Deborah Richardson, was 36. She married William Henshaw on 4 February 1762, in Leicester, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 2 daughters. She died on 1 January 1769, in her hometown, at the age of 24, and was buried in Leicester, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States.
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English: status or occupational name from Middle English sergeaunt ‘servant’ (Old French sergent, serjant). The surname probably originated for the most part in this sense, but the word also developed a number of more specialized meanings in the medieval period, including ‘tenant by military service below the rank of knight’. It was also used for a variety of administrative and legal offices, which may have contributed to the development of the surname. The sense ‘non-commissioned officer’ did not arise until the 16th century. Compare Sergent .
History: William Sargent (1624–1717) came to Gloucester, MA, from Devon, England before 1678. Many of his descendants distinguished themselves in the civil and military affairs of the colonies and some in literary or artistic paths, notably the portrait painter John Singer Sargent (1856–1925).
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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