William Larrabee (1657 - 1728)

Born 1657 in North Yarmouth, York, Colony of Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Husband of Catherine (Ford) Larrabee — married 14 Oct 1706 in Wells, Maine

Descendants

Died 1728 at about age 71 in Wells, York, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Adrian Stanley [send private message]

"William Larrabee,’ the first of the name to settle in Arundel, now Wells, Me., was driven from North Yarmouth during the Indian war in 1676. He was another “loving kinsman " of William, mentioned in his will of date 1692. and one of the oldest sons of Stephen Larrabee. According to a deposition recorded in York county [York Deeds Vol. 4 Folio 37 & 38, as William Leatherby age 27 on 16th of May 1685] , he was born in 1668. His first wife, whose name is not known, was killed, with her three children, by Indians, Aug. 10. 1703. He married Catherine Adams, of Wells, Mar. 3, 1706. At the close of the Indian war he took up a grant of land near the mouth of the Kennebunlr river, on the Arundel side, and, in 1714., built a small timber house several miles from the settlement in what is now Kennebunk, on a point of land about forty rods below the “Roundabout,” on the eastern side of the stream. He made his will April 25, 1727, and died in 1728, aged 70. He was represented as a man of great fortitude and resolution and one of the most fearless and his three children who were victims of the tomahawk have not come down to us; ..." [ pages 838 & 839 Saco Valley Settlements} Adrian Stanley_20 Sept 2014

Now Know Ye that I Samuel Littlefield of Wells in ye County of york in ye province of ye Massachusets bay in New England for and in Consideration of Twelve pounds in good bills of Credit of ye province aforesd to me in hand paid by william Laraby of ye Town aforesd Planter and for other good Cavses and Considerations him thereto moving hath given and Granted and Doth by these presents fully Clearly & absolutely give grant bargain Sell Alienate Enfeoffe make ouer and Confirm unto william Laraby aforesd a Certaine Tract or parcel! of Salt marsh Lying and being in ye Township of Wells aforesd Containing by Estimation five acres be it more or Less bounded Southerly & westerly by mousom river & Northerly by upland appertaining to Wm Laraby aferesd it being a piece of marsh Coinonly Called the round about : ye which peice or parcell of Salt marsh or meadow bounded and Estimated as aforesd the abovesd Samuel Littlefield doth hereby lor himself his heirs Executors & Admin* Confirm and Set ouer to yesd Wm Laraby & his heirs [143] Execute Adm£ or Assignes To Have and To Hold Together with all and Singular the Priviledges Rights & Appurtenances thereto belonging or any wise appertaining as a free & Clear Estate in Fee Simple forever and ye aboves'1 Samuel Littlefield doth for himself his heirs Executors & admS Covenant & Promise to William Laraby aforesd his heirs Execute Adm' and Assignes that he is at ye Time of Ensealing hereof the True & Rightful] owner and Proprietor of ye above granted premises and that he hath full Power good Right and Lawful] authority to Sell and Dispose of ye Same as afores'1 Furthermore that it is free & Clear & fully Clearly & absolutely Acquitted & Discharged of and from all other & former Gifts grants bargaines Sale Dowries Mortgages or Incumbrances whatsoever Moreover ye abovesd Samuel Littlefield the above Demised premises from ye Lawfull Claims or Demands of any person or persons whatsoever doth hereby Couenant & Engage to Warrant Secure and Defend and ffrances Littlefield ye wife of ye abovesd Sam11 Littlefield doth by these Presents freely & fully unto William Laraby aforesd all her right of Dowry or power of Thirds of in or unto the above bargained premises give Yeild up & Surrendr In Witness whereof ye abovesd Samuel Littlefield & frances his wife have hereto Set their hands and Seals This Nineteenth day of December Anno Domini: 1717 one Thousand Seven hundred & Seventeen and in ye fourth year of the reign of our Soveraign Lord George by the grace of god of great Brittain ffrance and Ireland King Defender of ye Faith (fee* Signed Sealed and Delivered Samuel Littlefield (a seal) frances Littlefield her mark (a seal) In Presence of vs francis Sayer, Samuel Stewart , Samuel Tredwell York sc/ Samuel Littlefield and ffrances his wife Personally appeared before me the Subscriber one of his Majtys Justices of the peace for sd County and acknowled this above written Deed or Instrument to be their act and Deed/ This 17th day of Sept1-1718. John Wheelwright

Wm. Laraby_York County Deed Vol. 9 Folio 142 & 143 https://archive.org/details/yorkdeeds17171720main/page/n375/mode/2up?q=Larrabee

Will _ William Larrabee of Wells, Maine Probate Office 3, 243 This is the last Will & Testamnt of William Larraby: First I comit my spirit to God that gives it and my body to the Earth to be decently buryed. First I give my well beloved Son Stephen Larraby my dwelling and land which Contains one hundred Acres with all my march or meadow . My aforesaid son to pay all my Lawfull Debts, I Give to my wife Kathrine Larraby the third part of my Estate. I give to my Eldest Daughter Bethiah Look Six pounds. I Give to my Daughter Sarah Larraby one Cow and Calfe & Six pounds in money. I Give to my Daughter Easter Larraby a heifer of Two years and Six pounds in money. I give to my afored wife Twenty in money. I give to my aforesd Son all my right and interest in North {Later assigned as Lot 30 North Yarmouth, Maine}. Also I Give to my Said Son the remainder of my Estate that is not Disposed of already. I do also appoint said Son to be Executr also I do Will that my Son pay the Legacys with (in) Three years after Date hereof the money to paid in Current or Mowing land where I have Set to my hand and Seale this Twenty fifth day of Aprill one thousand Seven hundred and Twenty & Seven 1727 William Larraby X His Mark I also give to my daughter Sarah Larraby forty acres of Land. I give also to my daughter Easter Larraby forty acres of Land. This was Interlined before Sin'd. Probated 8 Aug. 1727. Inventory returned 8 Aug 1727, at 362 pounds: 5: 0, by Ebenezer Emons, Thomas Wormwood, and Edward Evans, appraisers. Page 288 Source: Maine Wills 1635- 1770 William M. Sargent, published in 1887 Page 60 {footnote 1} Source: History of Kennebunk by Daniel Remich

Research Notes

A Note on Measurement for Deeds, " a Rod " equals 5.5 yards.

1713, March 26. The town granted to William Larrabee, Senior, one hundred acres of upland on the northeast side of Mousam River, which was laid out on the twenty-seventh of the following October, " 80 rods in breadth by the river, the northwest side begins at the river, by a great gully running from the river northeast and so to run back from the river till the 100 acres are completed ," and on the same day a grant of 100 acres was laid out to William Larrabee. Junior, joining his father, William Larrabee, "80 poles in breadth by the river and running on a northeast point back from the river till the 100 acres be completed." pages 57 & 58

1717, July 5. Laid out, under town grant, for Capt. John Gilman, of Exeter, N. H., and Samuel Littlefield, of Wells, two hundred acres upland and fifty acres salt marsh. The foot line begins at a place called Clay Hill and so runs northeasterly, on both sides of said upland, one hundred and eighty rods to Thomas Wormwood's land, and all the salt marsh from Clay Hill, between the upland and Mousam River, to the upper side of the place called "Roundabout," forty rods above William Larrabee's dwelling-house . The upper half of land and marsh was to be Littlefield's and the lower half Gilman's. The latter was probably forfeited, as it was laid out for Joseph Hill and John Storer, December 10, 1727, ..." page 61 History of Kennebunk from its earliest settlement to 1890. Including biographical sketches by Remich, Daniel,

https://archive.org/details/historyofkennebu00remic/page/56/mode/2up?q=Larrabee

https://archive.org/details/historyofkennebu00remic/page/60/mode/2up?q=littlefield

References to William Larrabee and the re settlement of North Yarmouth {Larrabee’s Landing}

The resettlement of North Yarmouth William Larrabee received a grant of land at North Yarmouth, town meeting held 24 Feb 1685. The town was abandoned again, and lots were redone about 1727. In 1741/2 the lots were reassigned by a numbered Lot Plan with map. William' s lot is Lot No. 30, and I believe Lot No. 31 was his brother Stephen's lot. Lot No. 29, to Isaac Larrabee, Lot No. 32, to Thomas Larrabee, Lot No. 33, to Samuel Larrabee, Lot No. 36, William Ashfield, Lot No. 37, to Benjamin Larrabee. [For more information: MAP: PROPRIETORS’ PLAN OF HOME LOTS 68 ; Ancient North Yarmouth and Yarmouth, Maine, 1636-1936 : a history  : Rowe, William Hutchinson

“ A garrison a was built on the West side of Royalls River, for the accommodation and defence of the inhabitants; amoung whom, at this time, were … William Ashfell (Ashfield), William Larrabee, Samuel Larrabee, …. About the 1685 or 1686, … One Indian, having pushed one of the Larrabees, he [he being one of the Larrabee brothers] cocked his gun, and shot him [the Indian] dead on the spot, on which the conflict became general;…” The History of the District of Maine Page 185, 186 Sullivan, James The history of the district of Maine, Boston: Printed by I. Thomas and E.T. Andrews ..., 1795, 428 pgs.

“ One Saturday morning, the nineteenth of September, [1688] William Larrabee and another man went across the river somewhat in advance of the others….reached the Western bank when they were suddenly surrounded… The party that had captured Larrabee and his companion now came up bringing their captives,… One of the Larrabees whose brother was held captive received a violent push from a burly savage which so exasperated him that, losing control of his temper, he snached up his gun and shot his assailant dead. As he fired he was seized by another savage but was rescued by Benedict Pulsifer, who using the only weapon a hand, struck the fellow an effective blow with the edge of his broad axe. The fight now became general…” Pages 48, 49, 50 by Rowe, William Hutchinson,  Ancient North Yarmouth and Yarmouth, Maine,1636-1936  473 pgs.

A reference to William Larrabee at Saco ---- Fort Saco 1693 “… The Indians carrying these three captives down the river in one their canoes, Lieut. Larrabee, who was abroad with a scout, waylaid them, and firing on the foremost of the canoes that had three men [Indians] in it, they all three fell and sank in the river of death; several were killed aboard the other canoes; and the rest ran their canoes ashore and escaped on the other side of the river; … " page 196 History of Saco and Biddeford : with notices of other early settlements, and of proprietary governments, in Maine, including the provinces of New Somersetshire and Lygonia Folsom, George Saco Me.: Printed by A.C. Putnam, 1830, 335 pgs.

… Note: A Captain Convers erected a stone fort at Saco -- 1693… Source: Page 226 Sullivan, James,  The history of the district of Maine Boston: Printed by I. Thomas and E.T. Andrews ..., 1795, 428 pgs.

“…but all who could make out claims, as former settlers, were admitted as proprietors, in the resettlement,…” “ At the ensuing session, in May, a petition was presented to the Legislature by John Smith and other proprietors of North Yarmouth praying that the township might be re established, …”page 109 The history of the state of Maine : from its first discovery, A.D. 1602, to the separation, A.D. 1820, inclusive, Williamson, William D., Hallowell, Me. Glazier, Masters & Co., 1832, 1431 pgs.

Sources

• Saco Valley Settlements and Families: Historical, Biographical ..., Volume 1 By Gideon Tibbetts Ridlon https://archive.org/details/cu31924028809619/page/n923/mode/2up?q=stephen+larrabee

• Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire, Vol. 3 Page 417_Larrabee https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/267096/?offset=0#page=170&viewer=picture&o=download&n=0&q=

• History of the District of Maine https://archive.org/details/historyofdistric00sull/page/184/mode/2up?q=Larrabee

• Old times : a magazine devoted to the preservation and publication of documents relating to the early history of North Yarmouth, Maine Publication date 1877 https://archive.org/details/oldtimesmagazine18791880yarm/page/482/mode/2up?

• https://archive.org/details/oldtimesmagazin188384yarm/page/1042/mode/2up?q=William+Larrabee

• https://archive.org/details/oldtimesmagazin187778yarm/page/18/mode/2up?q=Larrabee

• "Maine, York County, Probate Estate Files, 1690-1917," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89HJ-CN5G?cc=2094226&wc=M6Y2-8Z9%3A361240801 : 22 May 2014), Case no 11176-11263, Larrabee, J-Leavitt, F > image 105 of 1312; York County Courthouse, Alfred.

• Collections of the Maine Historical Society, History of North Yarmouth, by Edward Russell Maine Historical Society Vol. 2 page 173

http://google.it.ao/books?id=gqMMAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA173&focus=viewport&vq=Chief&output=html

• Wm. Larrabee_York Deeds, Vol. 4, Folio 37 & 38

https://archive.org/details/yorkdeeds04main/page/160/mode/2up?q=Laraby

• Kennebunk Road Map https://www.kennebunkmaine.us/DocumentCenter/View/3023/412018-Street-Map?bidId=

Map York County Atlas published 1872. Page 49: Map of Kennebunk with an inset for Wells Depot.https://digitalmaine.com/atlas_york_1872/44/