That Philip and Martha had been married some years before Philip purchased the home in Beverly (1698) is evidenced by the fact that their eldest child, John, was at that time over three years of age, having been born(1) Jan. 1st., 1695. And in the light of this fact, and of the evidence elsewhere presented that Philip and Martha were of French nationality and were scarcely English-speaking at the time Philip purchased the Beverly home, it may reasonably be concluded that their marriage took place in some French-speaking community and quite probably in France itself. In looking then for the marriage record of Philip and Martha we must in all reason turn to French records of about 1693-94, should such be in existence after all the vicissitudes of French history over this period of nearly two hundred and fifty years.
       Although in the light of the above evidence, that the marriage of Philip and Martha took place in France, it seemed unnecessary to look for a record of their marriage in the vital statistics of other Massachusetts towns of that time, we nevertheless have done this, with the result only of confirming the above conclusion that their marriage did not take place in the land of their adoption, and that they were married before leaving the old world.

1. See for date of his birth the town book of Beverly   for   that   time,   in   which is  given  a  list  of  the  six  children  of  Philip  and  Martha  by  birth  date and given   name.    This  cannot  be  accepted  as  evidence  that  John  was  born  at

Beverly, though he may have been; but if so, then not in the home, purchased 1698, where the other children were born as may be judged by their birth dates.