William Longfellow of Horsforth, England and Newbury, Massachusetts

William Longfellow was  baptized in the village of Horsforth in the county of Yorkshire in the year 1650. By the time of his birth the large scale migration of Puritan immigrants to Massachusetts had slowed. Oliver Cromwell and his Roundheads ruled England. With Cromwell's death and the restoration of the monarchy, interest in Massachusetts was renewed. While no one knows exactly when William immigrated, it is pretty clear that he was not a staunch Puritan, and was probably not immigrating for any religious reasons.  In the court records he shows himself to be a man who liked to drink and eat but did not like to pay his debts. He may have been a 17th century 'good-time Charlie'.Here is what I know about William Longfellow.

english origins
William Longfellow's ancestry has been traced to an area in the West Riding of Yorkshire, just to the north and west of the city of Leeds.  The Longfellow name can be found in records as far back as the 1400s. He was named for his father, William Longfellow who was a well to do Draper, clothes maker, who resided in the village of Horsforth.  William Jr. seems not to have trained in his father's profession. His mother was Elizabeth Thornton. He was their oldest child and the only one who immigrated.  The actual year of his immigration is not known, but he was in Massachusetts by 1676 when his name began appearing in town and court records.

newbury
No one seems to know for sure when William arrived in Massachusetts. He was definitely in the town of Newbury by 1676 when his name was included on a list for the town tax rate. I have read that William ran a store at the falls on Parker River, but I am not sure where that information comes from and I haven't seen anything in the records which would confirm it. If anyone knows more about this, please let me know.

One interesting thing I did stumble across on americanancestors.org was a copy of a deed written in 1675. The sellers of the land, Merry's Island in Maine, were Robart and Mary Thornton. One of the witnesses was William Lowfellow. If you read my last post about William Longellow's ancestors you might remember that one of the candidates for fathering William's mother, Elizabeth Thornton, was a Robart Thornton. Could this be Elizabeth's parents or maybe a brother?  Is the name Lowfellow really Longfellow.  That would be really cool to find that one out.

court records
The best source for information about William Longfellow is the court records of Essex County. William seems to have always been in some sort of a pickle.  His name began to crop up in 1676 and from then on, he was often in court.  Because of the frequency of his court appearances after 1676, it makes me think that his arrival might have been closer to 1675 than 1670.  I don't see how he could have keep himself out of trouble for so long!

a very crazy butt 
In September of 1677 William Longfellow faced Hugh Marsh in court. The case is a bit convoluted but here's the story.  William Chandler arrived at the home of Mr. Henry Sewall on 8 September 1676. He was there to get two casks of wine for Hugh Marsh, one was a Passado wine and the other wine was called Fayall. The casks were located in the lean-to of the house.  William Chandler said that William Longfellow was there when he arrived and said that he was was drawing wine out of one of the casks with a funnel. Longfellow said that he was getting wine for his upcoming wedding. They loaded one of the casks onto the back of Chandler's wagon without difficulty. The second cask, from which Longfellow was removing wine was described as a 'very crazy butt'. Together they got the cask on the edge of the wagon, but because it was so wonky the 'head flew out' and some of the wine was spilled.  The wine flowed into the house through the lean-to all the way to the fireplace. William Chandler testified that the wine was down about 9 inches, but that it was in 'pipes' and not 'butts'. William Longfellow then roped in Joshua Richardson as a witness, saying that if the 'wine was lost' in the house it was his but it was lost outside it was the Marshes. Which I interpret to mean, any damage done inside the lean-to was the responsibility of Longfellow and any damage done outside was the responsibility of Hugh Marsh. The wine eventually made its way to the Marsh home.  Hugh Marsh then measured the volume of wine and found it not to his liking.  He then sued William for the cost of the missing wine.

sued by his father-in-law
William was back in court in November of 1677, this time he was being sued by his father-in-law. He was apparently supposed to pay a debt by bill of exchange to a man in Boston, England, which he failed to do. Henry was suing him to recover the debt.  A writ had been served to William in October by the marshal of Ipswich, he had taken a slave and three cows from William to cover the cost of a debt.  The slave, whose name was not mentioned, stated that Mr. Henry Sewall had sold him to William Longfellow.

At this same court, 16 year old Mary Williams, a servant of Hugh March, testified that William came to her master's house and called for "wine, beer, victuals, cider and sometimes rum". Mr. March must have been running an inn or an ordinary.  Anyway, it seems William had run up quite a tab and had not paid a penny for two years. Later in the November session Hugh March sued William Chandler, the man who dropped the wine cask. Hugh accused him of carelessly staving a butt of Passado wine. Chandler was apparently a cooper.  Several men who were there when the cask was dropped testified that they had warned him not to lift the cask the way he was doing at the time as they felt it would burst, but he said he had handled many a cask of wine and knew what he was doing. Obviously, he was wrong.

In late 1677 the court verdict was against William in both the lawsuit brought by Henry Sewall and Hugh March.  Because he was unable to pay his debts to Henry, the court made him his servant for seven years.

land rights
A year later William was back in court but this time he was doing the suing.  He had been given land in Rowly from his wife's grandfather Henry Sewall Sr. and he felt that the Rowley lot layers had shortchanged him some land, or gate rights, in the cow common.  This case dragged out for quite some time, but eventually William won.

While this case played out William was in court accusing Mr. Nehemiah Jewett of "violently seizing his money under pretense of executing his office of marshal's deputy.  The court found in his favor and ordered his money returned.

more court cases
In Sept. of 1679 William was in court for fighting. November saw him back in court suing Pennell Titcombe for debt. This debt had to do with a 1676 agreement between Willliam Longfellow and Pennell concerning the building and ownership of a  ship called Beginning which was built at Newbury Falls by John Haseltine. William lost this court case and Pennell Ticombe was awarded William's gate rights in the town of Rowley.
The same rights he had just sued the lot layers of Rowley to get.

In 1681 he was in court making a very public and very humiliating confession of killing a neighbor's steer, butchering it and burying the hide and remains. He and a friend hatched a plan to capture and kill  a neighbors steer, presumably for the meat. William confessed to the crime before he was arrested, he probably knew it was coming.  He claimed in his confession that he was "frequently and earnestly solicited to do what he did".  He said that he was told not to tell of the crime but that the weight of his guilt forced him to confess. Sure it did.

1683 saw William in court yet again.  He had captured a mare who was loose in John Moore's pasture.  The mare. The rightful owner was suing to get his mare and colt back.  William claimed he had put a 'klodg' on the mare's hoof.  William, of course, lost.

marriage and family
On 10 November 1676, William married Ann Longfellow.  The date of their marriage is often said to be in 1678, but if he was getting wine for his wedding in September 1676, it would make sense if he was getting married in a couple of months, rather than two years later.

Ann was the daughter of Henry Sewall Jr. of Newbury.  She was born on 3 September 1662. She was a very young bride, only 14 at the time of her wedding. What was Henry thinking?  Was he indulging a daughter, was William handsome and charming? Did William love her, or did he love the fact that her father was wealthy?  Hum, we will never know, but that doesn't stop me from wondering.

Ann gave birth to their first child, a boy named William, on 25 November 1679. They would have at least 5 children.  In the Diary of Samuel Sewall, Vol. 1 it is said that there were two more children who died before 1692, if there were their names were not recorded in the Newbury town records.

1. William, b. 25 November 1679
2. Stephen b. 10 January 1681, d. young
3. Ann b. 3 October 1683
4. Stephen b. 22 September 1685
5. Elizabeth b. 3 July 1688
6. Nathan b. 5 February 1689/90

letter home
In 1680 Samuel Sewall wrote a letter to his brother Stephen, who lived in England.  He asked Stephen to tell William Longfellow's father that he has a son, a "fine, lively child".  He also says to tell William Sr. that his son has a a very good piece of land and wants a little stock to manage it.  He tells his brother that their father, Henry Sewall has already spent almost 100 pounds to get William out of debt. I think he was thinking it was time someone else footed the bill for William Longfellow, like maybe his own father!

In a diary entry dated 3 December 1685, Samuel Sewall, records that 'Brother Longfellow' came in.  He states that his presence was some 'exercise' for him as William was so ill conditioned and outwardly shabby. And this was not the first time he has seen him so.  He says that he appeared like that at either his father's funeral, in 1683 or at Johnny's.  Samuel had a son named John who died in 1678 and he was probably speaking of his father-in-law, John Hull who died in 1683.  William's appearance, he said, humbled him.

return to england
In September 1687 William's brother Nathan died in Horsforth, England. William returned to England shortly after getting word of his brother's death, probably no sooner than the beginning of 1688 given how long it would take for a letter to arrive, William to decide to return, and waiting for a ship that was sailing for England. It has been surmised that he was hoping to gain from Nathan's death in some fashion.  I think he just went back hoping to score some money off his old man.  He would have  been his father's only male heir and maybe he thought he could get some of his inheritance a little bit early.  We don't know how long he was gone, but I imagine it was for several months at the very least. It would seem he returned home empty handed.

quebec
On 20 August 1690 Major General Sir William Phips set sail from Hull, Massachusetts to take Quebec for the English Crown.  He had fought successfully in Acadia earlier in the year and there was hope for greater glory. He had 34 ships and 2300 men, mostly farmers. The venture was financed by the sale of bonds, bonds that would be repaid with the expected plunder of the city.  The ships sailed up the St. Lawrence Seaway and anchored in the Quebec Basin on October 16th.  The battle is a disaster for Massachusetts. Although only about 30 men died in the battle, it is believed that as many as 1000 died from illness, many of them from smallpox. On October 25, Phips had had enough and the fleet sails for home. One ship was lost at sea on that return voyage. The remaining ships returned and brought back a smallpox epidemic with them.

Poor William Longfellow, both literally and figuratively poor,  had enlisted with this expedition. He was 40 years old. Was he hoping to profit himself from the plunder, was he hoping to be given land for his service?Whatever hopes and dreams he had drowned with him when his ship was lost at sea on the return voyage. He left behind a 28 year old wife with six small children. The youngest child, Nathan, was just a baby.  Did Ann mourn his loss or was she relieved that he was gone? I bet her father and brothers felt well rid of him.

When he died, William's estate was valued at 127 pounds.  His debts totaled over 226 pounds. As late as 1756 claims were still being made against his estate for from men and women and their heirs to whom he owed money.

my next blog post will be about Ann and her marriage to Henry Short.

Longfellow Ancestry Links
English Ancestry of William Longfellow of Newbury

Sources:
Farnham, Russell, C. "The Longfellow Family", The Essex Genealogist, Vol. 15, pg. 18-23

Memoirs and Services of Three Generations. General Joseph Cilley, First New Hampshire Line. War of the Revolution. Jonathan Longfellow, Father of Sarah, Wife of General Joseph Cilley. Colonel Joseph Cilley, U.S. Senator and Officer in the War of 1812. Honorable Jonathan Cilley, Member of Congress from Maine. Commander Greenleaf Cilley, War with Mexico and War of 1861. General Jonathan P. Cilley, First Maine Cavalry, War of the Rebellion. Reprint from the Courier-gazette. Rockland, Me.: n.p., 1909. Print.

Records and Files of the Quarterly Court of Essex

Tucker, Spencer, Almanac of American Military History, Vol. 1, pg. 101-102

Diary of Samuel Sewall

R

The Ancestors of William Longfellow of Horsforth, Yorkshire and Newbury, MA

Luckily for me, and for all who are interested in William Longfellow, his English ancestors were thoroughly researched and published way back in 1883.  The researcher and author was G. F. Sewell who traveled to England and combed through the parish registers and trolled through wills of all the Longfellows he could find.  He admits that he cannot absolutely link each generation and that he was "diffident" about printing his "proofs" but hoped that some other researcher could use them to find the documents which would prove a "perfect pedigree". No other researcher has come along with the perfect pedigree, so we have to make do with what he discovered, and that may be all we know about the Longfellows. So here is what he found about the Longfellows of Yorkshire.

Yorkshire
The Longfellow family was from an area in Yorkshire just to the north and west of the city of Leeds. The Longfellow name has been found in various villages such as Otley, Guiseley, Bagley, Calverley and Horsforth. These villages are all within a few miles of each other.  The county of Yorkshire was divided into smaller administrative units called 'Ridings'.  These villages were in the West Riding. The area was mostly agricultural in our Longfellow's time. Horsforth was recorded in the year 1086 in the great Doomsday Book of William the Conqueror. Today it and the other villages are part of the Greater Metropolitan Area of Leeds.

Sewell was able to find evidence of the Longfellow name in the Horsforth area as far back as the 15th century.  The spelling of the name has evolved, sometimes spelled with an 'O' as  in Long and sometimes with an 'A' as in Lang.  The name seems to have originally ended in an 'Ley' or 'Lay'.

possible ancestors
The oldest Longfellow he discovered was one James Langfellay of Otley, Yorkshire.  All we know of him is that he wrote his will on 18 June 1486 and died sometime before it was proved  in York, a little more than a month later, on 28 July. In his will he named his wife Alice and  John Langfellay as his executors.  What was the relationship between James and John?  Sewell guesses that they were brothers. Relationship to our William: Unknown.

In about 1520 a John Longellay petitioned Peter Middleton Esq.  to be admitted as a tenant to a small piece of land near Otley.  In 1521 he was recorded in the Manorial records as being fined, along with 21 others, for taking "the lords's wood". The last record of this John comes from 1524 when he paid a day's wages to support King Henry the VIII's war against France.  Nothing more is known of him.

Horsforth Path by the River Aire Rich Tea

Sewell next found evidence of a Peter Langfellowe who was vicar of Huddersfield in 1508, of Calverley in 1510 and finally vicar of Leathley, near Otley, all in Yorkshire. This Peter was died and was replaced in 1530. Sewell surmised that all three Peters are the same man, but there is not definitive proof.  Relationship to our William: Unknown.

Next up is Richard Langfellay of Otley. He wrote his will in 1537. He left money in his will for the church at Otley and for upkeep and repair of  the local bridge. Richard named his wife Elizabeth, but named no sons. Sewell guessed that he was the brother of Peter Langfellowe. Relationship to our William: Unknown.

A third man, a contemporary of Peter and Richard, was William Longfellow of Leathley.  In his will of 1540 he named Sir Richard Langfellay, his own wife Isabel and his son, Percival Longfellow. Percival was to receive his father's land in Bagley. William's will was proved in March of 1543/4. Relationship to Peter and Richard: assumed to be brothers. Relationship to Percival: proven to be his father. Relationship to our William: unproven. Was Isabel the mother of Percival, this is unknown.

Percival Langfellow, of Bagley, wrote his will on 8 November 1577. He asked to be buried in the Calverley Churchyard and left money for the church.  He named his son Thomas and left him  a cupboard, a great chair and a pair of bedstocks. The rest of the household goods was divided up between daughters Jennet, Isabel and Elizabeth. No wife was named and no land was mentioned. Relationship to Thomas: proven to be his father. Relationship to our William: unproven.

St. Wilfred Calverley by Stanley Walker

No birth or death record can be found for Thomas. He did have two sons baptized at Calverley.  John on 19 July 1578 and Edward on 4 March 1582/3. This Thomas would seem to be the same as named in Percival's will.  He was having children at the right time and lived in the same village. I have seen on Ancestry.com a wife named Elizabeth Gookin, but no one seems to have any source for this marriage. Some trees have her birth/death as 1544-1655 which would make her 111 at her death. This makes me just a bit suspicious, how 'bout you? Thomas' death record has not been found. Relationship to Percival: most likely his son.  Known father to Edward.

getting warmer
An Edward Longfellow took his daughter Grace to be baptized in the village of Guiseley on 18 Nov. 1621. Subsequent children were also baptized at Guiseley and William was named as their father.  In 1619 a child named William Longfellow was baptized at Guiseley, but no parents were named. The researcher Sewell states that at that time, other children who were baptized had no parents name in the records. Sewell writes that he makes the assumption that Edward was the father of William based on the limited evidence at hand. As no other male Longfellow was baptizing children in Guiseley, it is most probable that the relationship is correct.

St. Oswald's Guiseley by Dave Bevis

When I looked for Longfellows baptized in Guiseley at that time I found not only William in 1619, but also Ane bp. 1613/4, Robert bp. 1615, Mary bp. 1617 and Elizabeth bp. 1624. Sewell did not identify Ane, Robert or Mary as siblings of William.  I would think that if William was considered to be Edward's child, the others would have to be included in the family as well. Grace and Thomas, other siblings, were not baptized at Guiseley but at the Chapel at Horsforth.

not our edward
Now, at the same time our Edward was living in Guiseley, another Edward Longfellow and his wife Jane Harrison were living in Ilkley, Yorkshire.  I have seem her name attached to our Edward but that is an obvious error. The name of our Edward's wife is not known.

horsforth
According to another source, Edward Longfellow purchased a house in Horsforth in 1625.  The house, called "Upper House", was said to have been on or near Tom Royd Hill near Woodside. This was not the only property he bought. In a search of Access to Archives, I also found a 1623 mortgage for Edward Longfellow, Husbandman of Horsforth, he bought a messuage that included a barn, orchard, garden, as well as closes and a cottage. The purchase also include lands called Claverlands and Clay Flatts.

In 1647, at the age of 65,  Edward turned over his house and lands to his son William. No record of his death has been found. His wife's name remains unknown as is his date of death.

william
This brings me to William Longfellow Sr., the father of the immigrant William. William, as I said was baptized on 24 Oct 1619 at St. Oswald's in Guiseley.  Although his father was described as a husbandman, a man who farmed and worked the land, William learned a trade and worked as a clothier. A clothier was a maker of clothing. He must have been fairly successful as he bought multiple properties around Horsforth.

On 10 Sept. 1646, at St. Wilfred's Calverley, William married Elizabeth Thornton. Although nothing is known about her, I find Elizabeth intriguing because my maiden name is also Thornton.  My Thornton ancestors are said to have originated in Yorkshire. Could she be related to them? Who knows. William was recorded as having bought land at Clay Flatts from a Mary Thornton, was she her mother?

elizabeth
A search of the freereg.org reveals that there were two girls named Elizabeth who were born in Horsforth in around 1628 that could possibly the wife of William.  First there is Elizabeth d/o John, baptized 24 Feb. 1627/8, her father's name was John Thornton.  A John Thornton married Susan Stringer on 25 November 1622. The second is Elizabeth also baptized in 1628 at Horsforth, her father's name was Robart. Unfortunately, without any type of document linking Elizabeth Thornton Longfellow to any potential father we are left with guesses. I have seen on ancestry.com a date of death in the year 1671.  I can find nothing that would indicate that she died that year, or any other year, for that matter. Some of these ancestry trees also have William remarrying in 1671 to a woman named Ellen Walker.  This is another bit of information for which I can find no proof or documentation.

children
The children of William and Elizabeth were:
1. William bp. 20 October 1650, m. Ann Sewell, d. 1690
2.  Sarah bp. 20 May 1652
3.  Lucy bp. 8 March 1653/4
4. Nathan d. 1687
5. Isabel m. Timothy Stables

rip
William wrote his will in July of 1704, he was buried on 25 July 1704. Elizabeth was not mentioned in his will nor were any children other than his daughter Isabel.  We know that Nathan and William Jr. were dead and I guess that Sarah and Lucy had also died. No mention was made of William's grandchildren in Massachusetts.

Links:
William Longfellow of Newbury, MA


Sources:

Longfellow, Wadsworth Henry and Alighieri, Dante, The Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: With Biographical and Critical Notes of His Life, with Extracts From His Journals and Correspondences, Vol 14, Houghton-Mifflin, 1891, pgs 421-422.

Cutter, Richard William, Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts, Vol. 1, Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Boston, MA, 1908, pg. 92.

Speight, Harry, Through Airedale from Goole to Malham, Walker and Laycock, Airedale, 1891, p. 94.

My Number One Fan

This is my first post since early January and it is the first since I lost one of my number one fans, my dad.  I started writing my family history some years ago.  My first attempts were on paper, but as the pages grew and I needed to make changes, I decided to start a blog where, not only could I write about my family, but they could read about our ancestors as well. I fell in love with genealogy and blogging and Dad got to read about his family history, some of which surprised him. What surprised me was how many other people, many with whom I share a common ancestor, stumbled upon my blog.

My dad didn't really know a great deal about his ancestors beyond his father and grandparents. His mother immigrated from England when she was a young woman. For some reason she didn't speak about her family, at all. Dad had little to pass on about his grandparents, aunts and uncles in England. A lot of what we knew about his father's family came from a book written about the descendants of immigrant James Thornton, who left Ireland in about 1720.  One of his sons was Matthew Thornton, signer of the Declaration of Independence, we descended from another son. My dad's grandfather died before he was born. His grandmother, Jennie Clover, lived to be almost one hundred. Unfortunately, she was a bit of a dragon and was to scary to talk to, so he didn't know to much about her family either.

When my dad got too sick to drive himself to doctor's appointments I would take him.  To pass the time in the waiting room we would talk about his family and his childhood.  Instead of watching TV tuned to some 24 hour news channel or looking at out of date magazines he would tell me stories about the ice delivery man or his own family's business which was butter and egg delivery. He remembered his Aunt Mary holding eggs over a candle to see if they were fertilized. At one of his last appointments he talked about high school.  He graduated from Brookline High.  One of his school friends was a guy named Paul Pender, who would hold the title of  World Middleweight Boxing Champion.

Dad felt bad about taking me away from work to take him to these appointments, but I didn't mind.  I will never regret the time we spent talking about the past and going through his memories of his family.  I wish we had more time, I keep thinking of questions for him, which now will go unanswered. I know that every time I find some new bit of information about my ancestors my first thoughts will be that I wish I could tell Dad.

If you are lucky enough to still have your parents around, take the time now to talk with them about their life. They may not remember everyone's name or birth date but if you want to know your family history there is no better place to start your research, and if you decide to write about your family, they will be your number one fan.

What Was She Thinking? The Unusual Marriage of Jennie V. Rector

I like to think I have a good handle on the lives of my ancestors.  My ancestors like to prove me wrong. Jennie Rector is one such ancestor.  Born in Albia, Iowa in April 1872, she was the daughter of William Peter Rector and his wife Caroline Dunkin. In a 1884 school report card she was ranked second in her class, had all A's, including one in deportment. On 9 July 1894 she married William P. Cramer who tragically died the following year.  Jennie remained a widow until finally marrying on Christmas Eve in 1917. She died in August 1938, age 66, and is buried in Albia, Iowa.  Her husband Theodore S. Witten died 10 years later.

I had a picture of her in my mind, a sad grieving widow, who finally remarried in midlife. She was unemployed in both the 1900 and 1910 census. Her father died in 1918 and I imagine that she was beginning to worry about her future. Did she marry Theodore for love, for companionship, for security, who can say. All in all, she she seems to have lived a quiet, boring, unremarkable life. Or so I thought.  Here is what  I know about Jennie V. Rector.

william
As I said earlier, Jennie married William Cramer in 1894. So, who was this William.  Well let me tell you about him. William was the son of George P. and Rachel Cramer, longtime residents of Albia.  George was a businessman who had owned a dry goods store, started and sold a circus and finally was the proprietor of the Cramer Hotel in Albia. He had served on the city council, was at one time a constable and deputy sheriff. He and his wife had three children, Anna, who married Sheriff John Doner, Emma who married Thomas Mitchell and William.  So it would seem that our Jennie had married into a prominent prosperous family and had a bright future.

Jennie, however, was not the first Mrs. William P. Cramer.  In 1886 William had married Clara A. Shriver. This union resulted in one child.  For whatever reason,  William filed for divorce from Clara in October of 1893. The filing made the local paper.  In December William was again in the newspaper when he rescued a fellow ice fisherman who had fallen through the ice and whose life was in imminent danger. Was this what attracted Jennie, was William a brave single father in need of a good wife?

bad stuff
A few weeks later, on 20 January 1894, William was once again the subject of a newspaper article.  This time he and John Dull were arraigned before the Mayor and bound over to the Grand Jury, the charge; assaulting a man by the name of Donaldson. Yikes, there must be some mistake. But no, a month later the paper reports that on 16 February William assaulted a second man, 65 year old Mr. Martin. Ewww, I starting to not like this guy. The next day William and John Dull appear before the Grand Jury and were indicted.  William, or his father, was able to make bail, but John Dull ended up in jail.

it gets worse
On the 21st of February the police searched William's house.  They reported finding no booze, but they did find a prostitute, she was let go without charge. William seems to have kept his name out of the paper until the 4th of July.  As the story goes, the whole town was terrified of him.  The Sheriff had a warrant for his arrest but was afraid someone would be killed trying to bring him in. In a previous attempt to jail him, William had asked the Sheriff to take him by the Cramer Hotel so he could drop off some things that he would not need in jail. He then pulled out a revolver and pointed it at the Sheriff and the city Marshall.  William escaped out the backdoor and remained at large.

the shooting
Finally the Sheriff resolved to take William in, he had been spotted driving through town with a woman and two men. Oh Lordy, was the woman Jennie?  The Sheriff warned all his men to arm themselves. One of these men was George Fordyce, an ex-soldier and night watchman. As William and his gang drove down the street, he stopped his horses. "Are you looking for me?", William yelled at Fordyce. "No" responded George, "I am not looking for you". William then threatened to "thump the hell" out of Fordyce if he was. William got down out of the wagon, walked behind it and approached Fordyce.

George Fordyce must have been nervous as William neared him.  He pulled out his revolver and fired it at William.  The paper reported that the caps did not explode.  William then pointed his gun at George and shot him in the abdomen.  Despite his wound, George tackled William and they fought.  The Sheriff finally arrived and pulled his gun on William who thankfully surrendered.

marriage
Five days later, our Jennie married William, what was she thinking? The wedding took place at the jail and within one hour of becoming Mrs. William P. Cramer, Jennie was arrested for being drunk.  She may well have been drunk prior to the wedding! In any case she was brought before the judge who gave her a choice of a ten dollar fine or 30 days in jail.  She choose to go to jail, apparently thinking she could share the cell with her new husband.  When the judge informed that she would be in her own cell, she decided to pay the fine. Her parents must have been horrified.

the trial
Luckily for William, George Fordyce survived his gunshot wound.  William was charged with attempted murder. His trial, held in February of 1895, was moved from Albia to Centerville, Iowa.  He was, of course, found guilty. He faced a sentence of not more than 10 years in the state penitentiary. Five months later he was dead.

death
William's name appeared in the paper for probably the last time on 14 November 1895.  The article reported his death of consumption (TB) at the home of his brother in law John Dolan. William was only 32 years old. The writer graciously admitted that while William had some serious faults, he did have a good side. He was, they said, an industrious man who paid his debts, and he had a warm side for those in distress and that he had many friends. His widow was not mentioned.

Wow, what a story.  It just goes to show that our ancestors are way more than just names and dates.  I will never know Jennie's motivation for her marriage to bad boy William. I wonder what her life was like after his death.  Did she grieve, was she ostracized for her behavior, is that why it took so long to remarry. Who knows, but I won't think of her as just a bland boring woman again.

Thanks to SP Stewart and his great Iowa research for making the newspaper articles available online.

Samuel Colby and Elizabeth Sargent of Amesbury, MA

During the years of the Great Migration it is estimated that about 20,000 men, women and children left England for a new home in New England.  The founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony immigrated with the idea of establishing a Godly Society, a theocracy really, free from the control of the English Anglican Church. If they were looking for religious freedom, it was only in the sense that wanted to impose their version of religion on all who came. Those who failed to live up to their standards or those whose religious view were different could be banished or sent back to whence they came.

The first generation of immigrants were willing to allow religion to influence, if not control, every aspect of their lives. Anthony Colby arrived in Massachusetts with the very first wave of migrants in 1630, a member of the Winthrop Fleet. He was from the same small village in Lincolnshire as Simon Bradstreet.  Thomas Dudley was from Sempringham, only a few miles away.  Both these men would serve as Governor of the Colony.  It seems almost certain that Anthony shared their religious beliefs. There is nothing in the records that indicate that Anthony was anything other than an upstanding Puritan.

But what about the next generation, those children, born in Massachusetts.  Did they willingly embrace the strict invasive religion of their parents? Did  Anthony's children live Godly lives? It would seem that they did not. Here is what I know about Samuel Colby and his less than Puritanical life.

beginnings
Samuel's parents met and married in the very early days of the colony. He was probably born in Ipswich around 1638, and shortly thereafter moved with his family to Salisbury. His father received land in Salisbury and bought and sold it for land in Amesbury, just across the river. He was also part owner/operator of a sawmill. Anthony died in 1661 at the relatively young age of 55.  Samuel was a young man of 23 at the time of his father's death. It is most likely that he still lived in the family home, as single men were not allowed to live on their own.

the great misdemeanor
In 1656 John Colby married Frances Hoyt and set up his own household.  He was no longer under the 'government' of his father, and he could live as he choose within the religious framework of the colony.  He seems to have liked to have a good time.  In 1665 John was 'entertaining' his brother Samuel, sister Mary, and several neighbors including Walter Taylor, Nathaniel Barnard and an unnamed man who was the servant of Edward Cottle.  Everyone must have had a bit too much to drink and the party rapidly went downhill.

The party goers eventually found themselves in court explaining what had happened that night. Nathaniel Barnard was found guilty of fighting, railing and dangerous threatening. Walter Taylor, testified that he was in fear for his life that night. Mary Colby was found guilty of bold and uncivil carriage for pulling Walter Taylor's hat off and pulling him off his stool. Samuel Colby was found guilty of abetting Nathaniel Barnard. John Colby was fined for suffering such miscarriages to occur in his house and was warned not to entertain men's sons and other men's servants with out their permission. Walter Taylor was sentence for railing, excessive drinking and for striking Edward Cottle's servant. Whew, what a crazy night!

This incident was the first time I can find Samuel's name in the court records, but it was the first of many. Alcohol, its production, sale and consumption were the main themes of many of his and his family members court appearances.

marriage
Other than an appearance in court in 1666 for "abusing the watch", Samuel kept a low profile.  One possible reason was his marriage to Elizabeth  Sargent and the birth of their first child Dorothy in 1668. Elizabeth was the daughter of William Sargent and Elizabeth Perkins, also of Salisbury. I wonder why they chose the name Dorothy.  Anyway, William Sargent was an upstanding man in the town, in fact he held a prominent seat "at table" in the meetinghouse during religious services. Maybe he had a steadying influence on Samuel during the duration of his life.

land
In 1659 the town of  Salisbury divided a 500 acre parcel of land and gave it to  "the children" of the town. Samuel was included in this division.  Samuel also received some land from his father. In his deeds, of which there were many, he called himself a "planter".  Samuel bought and sold land on a regular basis. In the early years of his marriage he and Elizabeth lived in Haverhill.  His name is on almost twenty deeds found in the Old Norfolk County Deed books and in the Essex County Books. In 1680 "Old Norfolk County" ceased to exist and Salisbury and Amesbury were added to Essex County.

war
In 1676 the colonist fought a short but destructive war against multiple Native American tribes, under the leadership of King Philip.  The Indians came amazingly close to wiping out the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The combatants were both equally responsible for atrocious acts of war, killing men, women, children and the elderly indiscriminately. In May of 1676 a group of colonist, under the command of Captain William Turner, attacked an Indian camp killing many. The sound of gunfire alerted nearby groups of Indians who converged on the colonial militia. Now the tables were turned and many of the colonist were killed. This fight became known as the Falls Fight and the waterfall is known as Turner Falls in memory of Captain Turner who was killed in the battle.

In order to entice men to fight, the colonial government promised land to all who would take up arms. After the war they dragged their feet and failed to fulfill their promise.  By the 1730's many of the young men who had fought in the war were dying off.  The  remaining veterans pressed the government to make good and eventually they did.  List of soldiers were compiled, some from memory.  John Colby, Samuel's nephew, was known to be at the Falls Fight.  His named appeared on the June 1736 roll of soldiers approved by the General Court. In August of 1741 Samuel Colby, son of Samuel Colby of Amesbury was granted a right in the land as his father's heir by the court.  The land was in Leydon and Bernardston some 110 miles to the west of Amesbury.

The war ended with the death of King Philip, and although Salisbury and Amesbury were not affected, the entire colony suffered from emotional and psychological scars for years.

amesbury
Samuel remained in Amesbury for the rest of his life.  His brother John had died in 1674 leaving him, and his brother Isaac and Thomas to care for their widowed mother, her third husband William Whitridge also having died. In 1677 Samuel took the Oath of Allegiance, he was thirty nine, no longer young man.  He began to serve on trial juries both in Salisbury and in Hampton.  In 1682 he served as town constable.  1682 is also the year he bought his parents house from his mother in return for her upkeep.  This house would remain in the Colby family for generations.

hey bartender

interior of an Ordinary

In April of 1678 Samuel was granted, by the Quarterly Court, based on the good opinion of the selectmen and minister, the right to keep a public house of entertainment, aka an Ordinary or Inn. This license was good for one year and would allow Samuel to sell beer and cider, food for men and horses, and provide lodgings. However, these services could only be provided to strangers and travelers. He was strictly prohibited from selling wine and liquor or any sort of drink to the local townspeople. Historians have placed the Inn in what was Bartlett's Corner which is now the location of the Union Cemetery. The Inn was apparently near the meetinghouse as often the selectmen would adjourn to the Colby's during their meetings for some refreshment.

In November 1678 Samuel was back in court, this time in trouble for selling wine without a license.  He appealed and in 1679 when his license was renewed he was granted the right to sell wine and strong waters to strangers. Samuel routinely appeared in court to renew his license and just as often to defend himself for some license related transgression.

crazy kids
One night in 1679 when Thomas Wells was away a party occurred at his home.  His wife, oddly enough, seems to have been in bed asleep at the time. Party goers included Samuel and John Weed, John Colby, Mary Sargent, Orlando Bagley and several other men.  The group made a bet with Samuel Weed, for a certain amount of liquor, to enter the bedroom and give the sleeping Mrs. Wells a kiss.  John Colby lighted the way and was the witness to the deed. Their bit of fun was apparently not appreciated by either Mr. or Mrs. Wells, and they all ended up in court to explain themselves. This group were all either cousins or related to each other by marriage and most were related to Samuel.

Another Colby cousin who got into more serious trouble was Elizabeth Colby.  She may have been Samuel's niece, the daughter of his late brother John.  She was working as a servant for Anthony Perkins in Ipswich, who was also licensed to sell liquor.  Elizabeth was accused of selling liquor to an Indian, which was strictly against the law. She confessed and was fined.  The following year she was accused of fornication with one Phillip Caul, she did not appear in court and was said to have left the colony.  She was most likely pregnant. see this explanation of her story here.

picking on widows
At the same court session which Elizabeth failed to show, Samuel Colby was once again called to make an appearance.  His neighbor,widow Sarah Rowell, claimed that he was selling cider without a license and it was hurting her business. He countered that she was poor and unable to adequately provide lodgings and liquor to meet the travelers needs. He 'beseeched' the court to grant him the license, they declined. Sarah Morrill Rowell was also my ancestor. Unfortunately the wonderful Records and Files of the Quarterly Court transcription ends with the 1686 sessions so if Samuel or his family got up to more hijinks, I don't know about it.

family
Samuel and his wife had five children. Two daughters died before their father in 1716 and seemingly before they married. They had two sons, one of which also died before 1716.
1. Dorothy b. abt 1668 Amesbury, m. 1688 William Hoyt, d. after 1728
2. Elizabeth b. 1 June 1670 Haverhill, d. before 1617
3. Samuel b. 9 March 1671, m. Dorothy Ambrose, d. before 29 September 1746
4. Unknown daughter b. 3 April 1672, d. before 1716
5. Philip b. unknown, d. before 1716, m. Anne Webster, left 6 children

church stuff
In his later years Samuel's name appears in the records in connection with the meetinghouse.  He was a tithingman for some time and he was paid to sweep the meetinghouse and to ring the bells. The tithingman was responsible for keeping churchgoers awake by poking them with a stick.  He also used his tithing stick to keep unruly young boys in line.

the arch
In his will, Samuel left a brick wall and arch to his grandson Icabod.  Now, I don't know about you but I found this to be unusual.   What the heck was this arch.  The answer is found in the Amesbury town records. In 1714 the town gave Samuel permission to build an arch on a certain piece of land near his home and the highway.  This arch was probably built into a small hillside to support the ceiling when the interior was hollowed out, leaving you with a sort of cave that could be used for cold storage. I suspect that he might have used it to store apples.  Samuel owned a cider mill and obviously made the cider he sold. If he used large quantities of apples he might have need of a storage facility. Of course I could be completely wrong.

rip
In 1712 Samuel made a deed gift of land to his son Samuel. Four years later in March of 1716 he wrote his will.  He died sometime before the second of July when his estate went to probate.  He was survived by his son Samuel, daughter Dorothy and the children of Philip and of course his wife Elizabeth.  Elizabeth lived quite a long while after Samuel, dying herself in 1737.  The Macy-Colby home would go to his son Samuel Jr.


Sources:

Cutter, William Richard. Genealogical and Personal Memoirs: Relating to the Families of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts Volume 4. Boston, MA 1908, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, pg. 2053.
Hoyt, David, W, The Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury Massachusetts with related families of Newbury, Haverhill, Ipswich and Hampton, Providence, RI, 1897, pg. 105

Merrill, Joseph. History of Amesbury including the First Seventeen Years of Salisbury, to the Separation in 1654, and Merrimac, from Its Incorporation in 1876. Haverhill: F.P. Stiles, 1880. Print.

Bodge, George M. Soldiers in King Philip's War. Containing Lists of the Soldiers of Massachusetts

Colony, Who Served in the Indian War of 1675-1677. With Sketches of the Principal Officers, and Copies of Ancient Documents and Records Relating to the War. Boston: Printed for the Author, 1891. Print.

Anthony Colby of Horbling, Lincolnshire and Salisbury, Massachusetts

In my previous post I wrote about the ancestors of Anthony Colby, this post will be about him and his life in Massachusetts.

english origins
Anthony Colby was baptized in the centuries old parish church of Horbling in Lincolnshire on 8 September 1605. The church, St. Andrew's, was vastly different from the one in which Anthony would baptize his children. In fact, the building in which his children were received  into the Puritan fold was not even a church, just a multi- purpose building used for town meetings and worship services on Sundays, it was known as the meeting house.

So why did Anthony leave Horbling and the parish where his family had lived for centuries. What called him to start a new life in what must have been a frightening  place, so far from home. The root of his desire to leave most likely began with Theophilus Clinton the 4th Earl of Lincoln. The Earl had studied at Emmanuel College in Cambridge, a hotbed of Puritan belief, and he, and his family became great promoters of the Puritan movement. The County seat of the Earls of Lincoln was Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire, but they also had a manor house in Sempringham, a stones throw from Horbling.

Simon Bradstreet

It was at a manor house in Sempringham in August of 1629 that John Winthrop signed the Cambridge Compact and was elected as Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Company. The decision to immigrate was agreed, and the company could move forward with their plans. Also attending the meeting were employees of the Earl of Lincoln including Simon Bradstreet and Thomas Dudley, the Earl  of Lincoln's steward. Simon's father, the Rev. Simon Bradstreet, was vicar at St. Andrew's Horbling. So it would seem that our Anthony was raised in a center of Puritanism and knew some of the key players in the migration to America. Although there is no proof, it has been theorized that Anthony Colby was an employee, read servant, of Simon Bradstreet.

coming to america
The Winthrop Fleet, as it has come to be known, left  England for America in two waves, one in April and one in May of 1630. It consisted of 11 ships and about 700 brave men, women and children. They arrived in Massachusetts in June and July. I have seen on some websites that Anthony sailed on the flagship Arabella, but there is no list of passengers for that ship or any ship and very few of the Arabella passengers have been positively identified. Suffice it to say that all of the immigrants no matter the name of their ship were brave, maybe a bit crazy, and share equally in the great feat they accomplished. In any case Anthony was in Massachusetts by the summer of 1630.

I have also seen it written that Anthony landed in Boston, but he didn't.  There was no Boston in the summer of 1630. The fleet landed at Salem, which had been established as a sort of "beachhead" for the immigrants. At the time of their arrival Salem was a small village of about 10 houses and one muddy street. John Endicott and others  had scouted out a location for the new colonist to set up shop, they had even built a large Governor's house for John Winthrop to live in and conduct colony business.  This new location was further to the south and would become Charlestown.

So, if there were no passenger lists and very little documentation on who immigrated at that time, how do we know that Anthony Colby was on one of those ships?  The answer is in the records of the First Church of Boston.  This church really began in Charlestown when the settlers, beginning with John Winthrop, signed a covenant to form a church.  Names were added as they joined the church. Anthony Colby's name is the ninety third on that record.  People, smarter than me, have surmised that he must have become a member in the winter of 1630/1.  This would mean that he would have had to sail with the Winthrop Fleet to be there at that time.

The new settlement in Charlestown was hard hit by disease. Many of the colonist suffered from scurvy and malnutrition. A high number  of the immigrants died in the first few weeks. Charlestown was particularly hard hit.  The lack of fresh water seems to have been to blame.  It was decided, despite the approach of winter, that they group should move to the Shawmut Peninsula where there was a spring with sufficient water. This new settlement was named Boston, in honor of Boston, Lincolnshire. Anthony's first home in Massachusetts is said to have been Boston.

newtowne
By 1632 Anthony was living in Cambridge or Newtowne as it was first called.  Thomas Dudley and Simon Bradstreet both lived in Cambridge in the early days so Anthony might still have been working for Simon. The location of the town of Cambridge, some five miles up the Charles River from Boston,  was chosen based on the ability to defend it in the event of an attack. It was laid out in an orderly manner and was at one time surrounded by a wooden palisade. Anthony received two house lots with land, both outside the center of the town.  They were both on the Watertown side of Cambridge possibly where Brattle Street is today.

1632 was also the year he married.  His wife was the widow Susanna Waterman, her maiden name is unknown.  Their first child was baptized by the Rev. John Cotton in Boston on 8 Sept. 1633, shortly after his arrival in Boston. Anthony also traveled to Boston to take his Freeman's Oath on 14 May 1634. His freeman status would allow him to vote and perform other civic duties, such as serve on juries.

ipswich
For reasons unknown to us, Anthony decided to leave Cambridge. He was briefly in Ipswich, some 30 odd miles to the north.  His name is found on a 1637 Ipswich petition and he was in court in Oct. 1637 in a case recorded as Anthony Colbie of Ipswich. He did not stay long for in  1639 Anthony sold at least one of his Cambridge houses and lands to Simon Crosby.

salisbury
By 1639 Anthony had moved once again, this time to the newly formed plantation of Salisbury.  He was then about 35 years old and entering the prime of his life.  How his wife felt about packing up and starting over with four small children we'll never know, but I bet I can guess! With each move the family would have to build a new home, plow virgin fields, and establish new bonds with their neighbors and fellow citizens.

The history of Salisbury is of great interest to me, my family is descended from many of the original proprietors. When I read about him and his family and their dealing with their neighbors, I am reading about other ancestors. Case in point, Anthony was a co-owner operator of a saw-mill.  The other owners were William Barnes (ancestor), William Osgood (ancestor) Phillip Challis and Samuel Worcester. I imagine many of their customers were my ancestors as well. Anthony also bought and sold land to and from other ancestors, including William Sargent.

Beginning in 1648 Anthony served multiple times on juries, both the Jury of Trials and the Grand Jury. He was chosen once to serve as a Prudential Man. There are some strange things written about Anthony Colby on the internet, and much of it is copy and pasted onto various websites, none of which give a source for their information.  I am going to post, here, what I think is the most incorrect but much copied paragraphs copied and pasted into numerous webites and ancestry.com pages, as follows:

Anthony Colby seems to have been always at odds with the leaders in town affairs and was often in controversy, legal or personal, with the authorities. Once he was fined for making a speech in the Town meeting on the grounds that he had created  a disturbance.  He worked incessently to have the new settlement at Amesbury set off from Salisbury as a town. The fight was carried on after his death by his sons, and the separation was finally accomplished in 1666.

Colby was an industrious man, and in spite of moving every few years, and in spite of many children, he became one of the largest property holders in Amesbury. His lots included “Black River,” “Fox Island,” “Lion’s Mouth,” “Great Swamp,” “Hampton River,” “Whiskers Hill,”  and lots from the third and fourth divisions. His inventory for his will set a value of 359 pounds sterling upon his property.

I don't know who wrote it or when, but much of the information is flat out wrong, so don't copy it! There is also a picture of a drawing on an Anthony Colby floating around the internet and ancestry.com that is said to be this Anthony Colby, but it is not. The picture is of Anthony Colby, born 1792, who was once a governor of the state of New Hampshire. There are no pictures of the immigrant Anthony, got it, good.

children of anthony and susanna:
Anthony and Susanna had at least seven children, which was less than average as some of my ancestors had 10-12 children. Many of their children died before age 45. Samuel is the only one who is known to have lived to a good age of 78. Samuel and Mary are both ancestors, they married Elizabeth and William Sargent, children of William Sargent of Salisbury.

1. John baptized in Boston on 5 Sept. 1633, m. 14 Jan 1655/6 Frances Hoyt, d. 6 Feb 1673/4 age 41
2. Sarah b. abt. 1635 probably in Cambridge, m. 6 March 1653/4 Orlando Bagley, d. 18 May 1663 age 28
3. Samuel b. abt. 1638 probably Ipswich, m. abt. 1667 Elizabeth Sargent, d. 1716 age 78
4. Isaac b. 6 July 1640 Salisbury, m. Martha Parratt, d. April 1684. age 44
5. Rebecca b. 11 March 1642/, m. 9 Sept. 1661 John Williams, d. 10 June 1672 age 30
6. Mary b. 19 Sep 1647, m. William Sargent 23 Sep 1668, d. unknown
7. Thomas b. 8 Mar 1650/1, m. 16 Sep 1674 Hannah Rowell, d. March 1691 age 41

amesbury

Macy-Colby House Wikipedia

Although Antony originally settled in Salisbury, he eventually moved across the Powwow River onto land that would eventually become the new town of Amesbury. The sawmill was on the Powwow River near some waterfalls.  In 1654 Anthony bought the home of Thomas Macy who was leaving town after being caught in the act of sheltering folks during a rainstorm.  Unfortunately the 'folks' were Quakers and it was against the law to aid or give shelter to any of that religious persuasion.

The house was probably built around 1649 so it was a mere five years old when Anthony purchased it. The house still stands today, it is a museum owned by the DAR.  It is a traditional saltbox house that was modified in the 1740's. I would love to go and see it someday!

rip anthony
Anthony died in February of 1660/1, apparently without a will at the youngish age of 55. I suppose he may have died quickly, not having been ill and not feeling the need for a will. His youngest child was only ten years old. An inventory of his estate was done by his neighbors shortly after his death and presented to the Quarterly Court. He was not one of the largest land owners in Amesbury as so others have claimed.  His total estate was valued at about 359 pounds, of which about 185 was in real estate.

susanna

excellent book on many
 colonist, click to see

Not much was written about Susanna which is not unusual for the times.  Unless a wife got up to no good, she was hardly, if ever, mentioned.  Susanna remarried two years after Anthony's death to William Whitridge of Amesbury.  He died  five years later. Three times a widow, she did not marry again. Susanna lived in her house until her death at age of about 81.  Her last years were not good. Her well being was the topic of some town meetings where she was described as being very much defective and decayed in her understanding. At a meeting of the Quarterly Court her sons Samuel, Thomas and Isaac were ordered to sell what land was necessary to pay for her maintenance. She died on 8 July 1689.  Her estate was divide between her single surviving child, Samuel, and her grandchildren.

Sources:
The Records of the First Church of Boston
The Great Migration Begins
50 Great Migration Colonist 
The Register Book of the Lands and Houses of New Towne and the Town of Cambridge

Merrill, Joseph. History of Amesbury including the First Seventeen Years of Salisbury, to the Separation in 1654, and Merrimac, from Its Incorporation in 1876. Haverhill: F.P. Stiles, 1880. Print.

Ancestors of Anthony Colby of Horbling, Lincolnshire and Salisbury, Massachusetts

This post is about my immigrant ancestor Anthony Colby and his ancestors. They have been well researched by several outstanding genealogist including John Brooks Threlfall and Robert Charles Anderson.  Much of what I am including in this bio comes from their published works. I have tried to throw in a few details about the daily life of these people as it makes them more real to me.  If all I know about Anthony Colby is when he was born and when he died,  he loses his appeal in my eyes.  I like to try to imagine what life must have been like for him and those who came before me.

I am descended from Anthony Colby thru two of his children, so that must make him my double 9 times grandfather. Two of his children married two of William Sargent's children. Anthony moved several times prior to settling down in Salisbury.  I am also related to over 14 men who settled in that same town.  If someone asked me where I can from I could almost say "I'm from Salisbury".

english origins

Anthony Colby was baptized in St. Andrew's Church in Horbling, Lincolnshire on 8 September 1605. Infants were usually baptized quickly after birth so it's pretty safe to say that he might have been born in late August or early September. Horbling is and was a small village in the parish of Sempringham which also includes the village of Pointon. The Colby name can be found in records going back to the 1400s. The Sempringham that those early Colbys knew was very different that what it is today. If fact there is almost nothing left of Sempringham, and what there is left of it is hidden underground.

St. Gilbert

Sempringham was once a flourishing Saxon village with a Monastic Abbey dedicated to St. Gilbert its founder. Gilbert was the only Englishman to start a purely English religious order, the Gilbertine Order which once had 2000 monks and nuns in thirteen houses spread over England. Today all that remains is the parish church also dedicated to St. Andrew, it was built in 1120. Those early Colbys would have lived near the Abbey and seen its destruction during the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1538. 

Although the Colby name is found in very early records, the first identifiable ancestor of Anthony Colby is his grandfather Matthew Colby.  He was born about 1530 in the village of Pointon.  His parents names are unknown, but we know that when his mother died, his father remarried.  He and his new wife Agnes, who was a widow with children, did not seem to have any children together. His father died leaving Agnes widowed yet again.  She wrote a will and died in 1575/6. Unfortunately, she left no clue as to her husband's name.

matthew 

Pointon Fen farmland

Matthew lived in the village of Pointon. He married, about the year 1555, a woman known to us only as Mary.  He described himself as a husbandman in his will. A husbandman in 16th century England was usually a farmer, he probably did not own the land he farm, but held it from the owner, or lord of the manor, and paid rent for it. A husbandman was a step below a yeoman on the social/financial scale, but above that of laborer.

Much of what we know about Matthew and Mary comes from their wills.  They owned steers, cows, sheep, pigs and horses. They grew pease, barley and "corn".  Corn in England was not the same as corn in America. The word corn was used to describe wheat, rye or barley, basically any grain could be called corn. Europeans called american corn "maize". Matthew Colby and his brother William  were co-owners of a horse-mill, probably used for grinding  grain.  His brother deeded his share to his son in his will. Matthew also had something called  a kill-house, which I assume was a slaughterhouse. Matthew probably relied on his sons and daughters to help farm and run the mill.

mary

While her husband and sons were out working the fields and tending to their animals, Mary and her daughters had their work cut out for them with the running of the house. Just putting food on the table consumed hours of their time. All meals were made from scratch. They most likely made their own butter and brewed their own beer. They may have made bread and cheese as well.We have no idea how big their house was but in her will Mary bequeathed tables, chairs, bedsteads, feather beds, pewter, kettles, chafing dish, candle sticks, a great brass pan, brass pots, and iron brew pot, lots of linen including sheets, pillow cases, and table linen. She did not seem to have a spinning wheel or loom so it would seem that she bought any material needed for making clothes and all those sheets listed in her will.

siblings

Horse powered mill wikipedia

Several of Matthew's siblings have been identified, mostly through their wills. His brother William, the co-owner of the mill, and his family also lived in Pointon. William died in 1569, leaving his wife to raise their children. He left his house and land to his son Richard. Joan, his wife, died in 1578, their daughter Margaret was still a minor.  In her will Joan directed that her brother in law Matthew was to have charge of her until she reached her majority at 18. At that time she would be paid her inheritance by her brother. Matthew was also to have use of some of the land for Margaret's benefit. Matthew also had a sister Alice and a brother Robert both named in his will.

children
Mary and Matthew had at least eighht children,one of whom died young.  They named two living sons Thomas, known as Thomas the Elder/Senior and Thomas Junior.  the children were:
1. William b. abt. 1556, named in his father's will
2. Agnes b. abt. 1558-9, named in parent's will
3. Thomas "Senior", b. abt. 1561, m. 18 May 1590 Joan Booth
4. Elizabeth bapt. 30 May 1563, not named in parent's will
5. John bapt. 26 July 1565, m. 23 Oct 1593, d. before 1612/13 when his widow was buried
6. Thomas "Junior" bapt. 20 Dec 1567, m. 4 May 1595 at Horbling, Anne Jackson, aka Agnes, d/of Richard Jackson, parent of Anthony Colby the immigrant
7. Edward bapt. 5 Oct 1570. bur. 31 Dec 1591

8. Elizabeth bapt. 14 March 1572/3, bur. 10 Jan 1591/2

St. Andrew's Semperingham

1591 Was a Very Bad Year

In October of 1591 Matthew Colby was sick, so sick that he was, in fact, dying. He wrote a deathbed will on the 8th and was buried in the churchyard at Sempringham two days later. In his will he made bequests to all his children and his brothers and sisters. The bulk of his goods he left to his wife Mary. No real estate was mentioned in the will.  Matthew was probably about 60 years old when he died, it was a decent life span and there is nothing unusual in his death, until you hear the rest of the story.

On 1 December, less than two months later, Mary Colby was writing her deathbed will. She survived another few weeks and was buried on the 18th. Her youngest son died and was buried on the 31st of December and her youngest daughter died and was buried on the 10 of January. Half the family was gone in a matter of months. What did they die of?

It is very likely that their deaths were the result of some communicable disease.  The 1590's were especially cold and the crops failed in 1591.  With hunger and famine come disease.  Now the Colby's may have had plenty to eat, but this might not be true for all the folks living around them. With little to no knowledge about the spread of infectious disease the Colbys were as susceptible as anyone else. 

thomas

Thomas Junior was lucky to survive the epidemic which took his parents and two of his siblings. He was 24 when his parents died.  He married five years later in 1596.  His wife was Anne Jackson of Horbling. Horbling is only a few miles from Pointon.  Thomas had branched out from farming and was a tailor by trade. He must have been fairly successful as he had bought a second house in the town of Donnington about six miles to the east of Horbling. Not much else is know about Thomas.  He wrote his will on 10 December 1625 and was buried the next day. 

anne

Anne Jackson was the daughter of Richard Jackson of Horbling. His family can be traced only to his father William.  The Jackson family seems to have been better off than the Colbys.  In their will the Jackson men styled themselves as yeoman. The men also held positions in both the town and church and either owned or held by copyhold land and houses.  

william

Anne's grandfather was William Jackson of Horbling.  Although he described himself as a husbandman he seems to have been fairly well off.  He was born by the year 1500 and married Agnes Pickworth by 1530 or so.  They had two sons and six daughters.  William wrote a deathbed will in early May of 1549, Agnes died in 1571 also leaving a will.

Although William lived in Horbling, he also owned land and a house in nearby Threckingham some 2 1/2 miles to the east. He left the Threckingham land to his son John on the condition that he listen to the counsel of his mother, brother and uncle. If not, the land would go to his brother. William is recorded as being a Village Alderman in 1538 and 1540.  The aldermen were like a medieval city council.  They attended to village matters and settled local disputes. Aldermen were usually the wealthier villagers.

William's daughter Joan married a man from Threckingham.  The were well off having land in at least six different locations.  In his will Joan's husband was able to leave a significant amount of money to his children and grandchildren and listed several silver spoons in his bequests.  William's daughter Margaret was married to the Vicar of Horbling.

When Agnes Pickworth Jackson died in 1571 she made bequeaths to all her living children, grandchildren, god children.  She left money for the church in Horbling, for the repair of the Lincoln Minster and she left money to every Cotter (small farmer) in the village. These bequests probably had more to do with the state of her eternal soul and a social conscience, but I'm sure the money was welcome.

richard

St. Andrew's graves 

Richard Jackson was probably the second son of William and Agnes.  He was born around 1537-1542. His wife is known only as Elizabeth, her parents have not been identified. They had at least seven children. Richard wrote his will, in which he was called a yeoman,  in October of 1607.  He was buried in the Horbling churchyard on 25 Oct 1607. Elizabeth was buried 14 September 1619.

Richard, like his father, held various village positions.  He was churchwarden at the Horbling church for many years. His brother in law, Anthony Langton, was the Vicar at Horbling from at least 1577 until his death in 1583, which may have influenced his appointment to the job. The churchwarden was responsible for the public parts of the church, including any books, linens or silver. He was also responsible for the churchyard.

In 1578 Richard was recorded as being the village constable. This was an important position.  The duties of which included administration of the local militia, serving court orders,apprehending criminals, collecting taxes, as well as other duties. 

anthony

Anthony Colby never left any direct evidence to tie him to this Colby family in Horbling. But the fact that he was of the right age, that he disappeared from English records at the right time and the clincher, he was from the same small village as Simon Bradstreet seem to make his identification correct.  My next blog post will be about Anthony and his life in New England. 

Sources:

Destinations UK/Ireland  a  website with description of Sempringham

Great website about 17th century farm life in England Cropredy

Threlfall, John Brooks. Fifty Great Migration Colonists to New England & Their Origins. Bowie, MD.: Heritage, 1992. Print. 

This book by Threlfall is a fantastic source for your Great Migration Ancestors including Anthony Colby.