William Longley Sr. (abt. 1615 - 1680)

Born about 1615 in Firsby, Lincolnshire, England

Husband of Joanna (Goffe) Crispe — married about 1640 in Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 29 Nov 1680 at about age 65 in Groton, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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William Longley Sr. migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 211) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Origins

William Longley (or Langley) was the son of John Longley of Firsby, Lincolnshire^[1][2] (some sources say he was of "Frisby", Lincolnshire, but Frisby is in Leicestershire. Firsby is in Lincolnshire). William's parentage is proved via a letter of attorney written by William on 8 August 1638 to Thomas Meeke of Waynflete (Wainfleet), St. Mary, Lincolnshire, in which he asks Meeke to be his agent in selling lands inherited from his father, John Longley of Firsby, Lincolnshire.^[2][3] A birth record is not found for William, but his birth can be estimated at about 1614-1615 as he deposed that he was age 47 in 1661^[4] and age 48 in 1663.^[5] His birthplace is thought to be Firsby, Lincolnshire, where his father held lands. See research notes, below, for a possible baptism record and a possible mother, Anna Pearsonn.

William's date of arrival in New England is unknown. We do not know if he traveled alone or with his family. He is first found in New England records in Lynn, Massachusetts, where he was one of the original proprietors. He purchased land there in 1638 and he was a freeman there on 14 March 1639.^[3]

Marriage and Children

William married Joanna Goffe.^[3][6] No marriage record is found for Joanna and William. Their marriage date is estimated at about 1640, based on their children's estimated births. If they married in 1640, they likely married in Lynn, but they may have married earlier in England. See research note, below, for a possible marriage record in Lincolnshire. William and Joanna had the following children (only one birth record found):

• William,^[7] named in William's 1680 will;^[8] married first to Lydia _____ and second to Deliverance ____ Crispe; he was killed by Indians along with his wife and five of his eight children in 1694;^[3] three unnamed children who were in captivity were left bequests in Joanna's 1698 will.^[9] He may be the father of Elizabeth and Lydia Longley who were named in Joanna's 1698 will (see below). His second wife was his stepfather's daughter from a prior marriage.
• John, named in William's 1680 will;^[8] he may have removed to Salem, nothing more is found on him. He may be the father of Elizabeth and Lydia Longley who were named in Joanna's 1698 will (see below). He is often conflated with his brother William's son named John.
• Mary "Lemmond" (Leman) was named in William's 1680 will^[8] and Joanna's 1698 will^[9]
• Hannah Tarbell was named in William's 1680 will.^[8] Her daughter Anna Lawrence was named in Joanna's 1698 will^[9]
• Lydia "Nutten" (Nutting) was named in William's 1680 will^[8] and Joanna's 1698 will^[9]
• Sarah, born 15 October 1660.^[10] Sarah Rand was named in William's 1680 will^[8] and Joanna's 1698 will^[9]
• Elizabeth, wife of James Blood;^[11] She died about 1677; her daughters Mary and Elizabeth Shattuck were named in Joanna's 1698 will.^[9][12]

Life in Massachusetts

William was involved in several lawsuits in Lynn related to land claims. He was sued by "The Worshipful Emannuell Downing and Edmund Batter" on 30 March 1641. In 1662, William successfully sued the town of Lynn for 40 acres of land or £40 to resolve an error in the land division of 1638, when a 40 acre plot was incorrectly assigned to "Richard" Longley instead of William Longley. William was censured in 1663 for giving false testimony in a land dispute, but he successfully appealed the ruling and his accuser was found guilty of slander and fined £10. Also in 1663, William sued Thomas Newhall for assault and battery on William's wife.^[3] Anderson notes that the documents supporting his lawsuits provide the primary source of information about William's early land grants at Lynn.^[13]

On 17 June 1663 William and Joanna bought a house and land in Groton, Massachusetts from Thomas Browne for £80. The same day, they sold their Lynn home and land to Thomas Browne for £125. William and his son John were two of the original proprietors of Groton. William was one of three of the largest landowners there. Some of the land that Richard originally held later became a part of the town of Shirley, Massachusetts.^[3]

William first appears in Groton town records on 21 June 1663, when he voted against a proposal to give a minister the use of a house and lands owned by the town. In December 1665 and December 1666, he was chosen selectman of Groton, and was the third town clerk in 1666 and 1667. His son William later served as town clerk and, in some records, father and son are differentiated by giving William the suffix "senior". He served as constable in 1672 and 1674.^[14] He also served as a clerk for the military company.^[1]

The town of Groton was burnt to the ground by Indians in King Philip's War (1675/6). William and Joanna relocated to Charlestown, Massachusetts for a couple of years and then returned to Groton to rebuild. While he was in Charlestown, he was granted land there.^[3]

Death and Probate

William died at Groton 29 November 1680.^{[1][3][15][16]}

William's will was dated 23 November 1680, the inventory was conducted in February, and the estate was administered in 1681. His will names the following family members: his "loving & dear wife Joanna"; sons John and William; daughters Mary "Lemmond" and her two sons Samuel and Nathaniel, Hannah Tarbell and Thomas her son, Lydia "Nutten", and Sarah Rand.^[8]

His widow Joanna remarried to Benjamin Crispe,^[6] who she survived.^[7] She died at Charlestown, Massachusetts 18 April 1698 at age 79.^[3][7]

Joanna's will notes both her marriages, her surviving children and various grandchildren, including the three grandchildren who had been taken captive in 1694, as follows: "I give and bequeath unto my three grandchildren y* are in captivity, if they return ..., three books, one of ye a bible, another a sermon book, treating of faith, and the other a psalm book."^[9]

Research Notes

Disproved Father

Some sources state that William was a son of Richard Longley, who was in Lynn by 1635.^[14][17] This connection is disproved by the letter of attorney written by William stating that his father was John Longley of Firsby.^[1] This confusion is likely the result of William's lands in Lynn being mistakenly granted to Richard Longley in 1638. William successfully sued for these lands in 1662.

Possible Baptism

William, son of John "Lonely" was baptized 2 June 1614 at Irby-in-the-Marsh, Lincolnshire.^[18] Irby-in-the-Marsh is only 1.4 miles from Firsby. The Irby-in-the-Marsh baptism is further supported by a 1611 marriage there of John Longley to Anna Pearsonn, his probable parents.^[19]

Possible Marriage Record

No marriage record is found for William and Joanna Goffe, but a record is found for a marriage of William Longley to a Mary Gofe in November 1636 in Wainfleet St. Mary, Lincolnshire,^[20] which is only 6 miles from Firsby, Lincolnshire. William has a proven connection to Wainfleet St. Mary, as he contacted Thomas Meeke there in 1638/9 to sell his father's lands. Perhaps William married twice? Maybe Joanna's name was recorded incorrectly, as Mary, in the above marriage record? More research is needed.

Longley Granddaughters Named in Joanna's Will

More research is needed on the Elizabeth and Lydia Longley who were named in Joanna's 1698 will. Are they daughters of William or John? If they are William's daughters, they'd be two of the three grandchildren that were "in captivity" when Joanna wrote her will.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Alice Longley. Descendants of William Longley of Lynn, Mass in 1635. p.p., 1916, pp. 3-4. Google Books.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Ellery Bicknell Crane, ed. Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County Massachusetts. Vol. I. New York: Lewis Publishing Co., 1907, p. 536. Archive.org.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8} Gilbert O. Bent. Who Begot Thee? Some Genealogical and Historical Notes Made in an Effort to Trace the American Progenitors of One Individual Living in America in 1903. Boston: Press of D. Clapp & Son, 1903, pp. 29-31. Archive.org.
4. ↑ "Essex County, Massachusetts Depositions, 1645-1686". Columbia Point, MA. Index to the Deponent Records of the County of Essex, Massachusetts, Vol. 2, p. 284. Ancestry Record 5342 #3053 ($), Name: William Longley; Age: 47; Deposition Year: 1661; Deposition Place: Essex, Massachusetts.
5. ↑ "Essex County, Massachusetts Depositions, 1645-1686". Columbia Point, MA. Index to the Deponent Records of the County of Essex, Massachusetts, Vol. 3. p. 26. Ancestry Record 5342 #3054 ($), Name: William Longley; Age: 48; Deposition Year: 1663; Deposition Place: Essex, Massachusetts.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, MA: NEHGS, 2015, Vol. 2, p. 692. AmericanAncestors.org($): "LONGLEY, William1 (1610-1680) & Joanna [GOFF?] (1619-1698), m/2 Benjamin CRISPE; by 1640?; Lynn/Groton {Sv. 1:473; Longley (1952) 3, 5; Reg. 40:272, 61:70, 95:294; Charlestown 413, 628; Watertown 751; Millbury 569; Longley (1952) 4; Driver 55; Chute xliii ; Bent Anc 29; Shattuck 80; Farnsworth 63; Lynn 175}
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Vol. I. Boston: NEHGS, 1995, pp. 494-495. AmericanAncestors.org($): Benjamin Crisp.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6} "Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871." NEHGS, 2014. AmericanAncestors.org($): William Longley, case #14335. Also at Ancestry Sharing Link (free access) - Ancestry Image ($).
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6} "Massachusetts, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991". Middlesex Probate Papers. Ancestry Sharing Link (free access) - Ancestry Image ($): Joanna Crisp, case #5320. Also on AmericanAncestors.org($)
10. ↑ Massachusetts Vital Records, 1620-1850. Lynn. Vol. 1, p. 246. AmericanAncestors.org($): "LONGLY (Langley) Sara, d. William and Joanna, 15: 8m: 1660"
11. ↑ "Massachusetts Vital Records", Groton, Vol. 2, p. 112. AmericanAncestors.org($). Marriages of 3 children:

    LONGLEY (Longly)

    Hannah, and Thomas Tarbole, July 31, 1666

    William, and Lydia ___, May 15, 1672.

    LONGLY (Longley) Elizabeth, and James Bloud, Sept. 7, 1669

12. ↑ Lemuel Shattuck. Memorials of the Descendants of William Shattuck, the Progenitor of the Families in America that have Borne his Name. Boston: Dutton and Wentworth, 1855, p. 80, see footnote. Archive.org.
13. ↑ "Focus on Lynn" in Great Migration Newsletter. NEHGS, 1990, vol. 1, p. 21. AmericanAncestors.org($).
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} Samuel A. Green. The Early Records of Groton, Massachusetts. 1662-1707. Groton, 1880, p. 9, 14-17, 34 (1st called "senior"), 47. HathiTrust.org.
15. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001". FamilySearch. Wm. Sr. Longly, 29 Nov 1680.
16. ↑ "Massachusetts Vital Records". Groton, Vol. 2, p. 244. AmericanAncestors.org($): "LONGLY (Longley) William, sr., Nov. 29, 1680"
17. ↑ Seth Chandler. History of the Town of Shirley, Massachusetts, from its early settlement to AD 1882. Shirley MA: 1883, p. 520. Archive.org
18. ↑ "England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975", FindMyPast Transcription ($), William Lonley, baptized 2 Jun 1614 at Irby in the Marsh, Lincolnshire was the son of John Lonley.
19. ↑ "England Marriages 1538-1973", FindMyPast Transcription ($): John Longley married 16 Aug 1611 at Irby-In-The-Marsh, Lincolnshire to Anne Pearsonn.
20. ↑ "Lincolnshire Marriages And Banns", Archive: Lincolnshire Archives, FindMyPast Image - FindMyPast Transcription ($), First name(s): William; Last name: Longley; Sex: Male; Marriage date: ? Nov 1636; Spouse's first name(s): Mary; Spouse's last name: Gofe; Church: St Mary; Place: Wainfleet St Mary; County: Lincolnshire; Country: England.

See also:

• Green, Samuel A. Groton During the Indian Wars. Groton, MA: 1883, p. 75. Archive.org.
• Green, Samuel A. Epitaphs from the Old Burying Ground in Groton, Massachusetts. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1878, p. 244-246. Archive.org
• Pope, Charles Henry. Pioneers of Massachusetts. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1965, p. 278. Google Books.