| 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 |
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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]
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 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]
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]
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.
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]
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.
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.
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L > Longley > William Longley Sr.
Categories: Groton, Massachusetts | Lynn, Massachusetts | Puritan Great Migration
A lot of this bio is copied from the Bent source "Who Begot Thee". In the next couple of days, I plan to check all the citations and add more sourcing and re-write copy/pasted info.
edited by Traci Thiessen